


Not So Different

by Pembrooke330



Category: Archie - Fandom, Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Archie Comics (2015), Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Explicit Sex, F/M, Falling for each other, Friendship, Hate, Jeronica, Jughead x Veronica, Love, Pops - Freeform, Riverdale High School, Romance, Sex, Swear Words, Veronica x Jughead, Vughead, fp in jail, high school seniors, hiram in jail, juggy and v, jughead and veronica angst, jughead and veronica love, jughead and veronica meet, jughead and veronica sex, jughead jones x veronica lodge - Freeform, princess veronica, serpent Jughead, slow burn jeronica, veronica lodge x jughead jones, working jughead, working veronica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-02-28 09:13:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 55,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13268322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pembrooke330/pseuds/Pembrooke330
Summary: Veronica finds herself living in Riverdale with her grandparents after drama happens within the Lodge family. Jughead is a loner at Riverdale High School, by choice, and a Serpent by duty. They come from different worlds and different backgrounds but they both share things in common that neither one of them expected to share. After so much heartache in their lives, they have the opportunity to find something wonderful. But they both have to be willing to break down the walls they have built around themselves in order to find a love that neither one of them expected to happen for two people who really aren't so different after all...





	1. Chapter 1

Veronica looked out her second story bedroom window as the red and blue lights beamed across the walls around her. It was late, but she had heard the sirens. She had watched with her heart beating rapidly, beads of sweat beginning to form along her hairline, tears playing at the corners of her eyes as her dad was led out of their palatial estate in the New York suburbs. His hands were cuffed behind his back as two police officers held onto his arms, as if they were afraid he would somehow try to escape their clutches.

She didn’t think her father could actually see her as he glanced up at her window, but he was yelling “I’m sorry!” over and over before his head was shoved inside the police cruiser.

And then the caravan of vehicles left. No explanations, no goodbyes. They had just taken Hiram Lodge and left. Veronica wondered, hoped, that it was just some terrible mistake, but something in her gut told her that it wasn’t.

She was 17-years-old after all, and not oblivious to her dad’s dirty deeds as a fearful business executive of Lodge Industries out of New York City. She'd known that he'd had his hand in less than legal activities at any given moment. And apparently, whatever shady dealings he’d been involved in had finally caught up to him.

“Well…he’s gone…”

Veronica turned to see her mother enter her bedroom, a glass of scotch in her hand, her mascara smudged around her eyes, running down her cheeks. Her silk robe hung disheveled on her body as if she'd been wearing it for days, completely unconcerned about what a mess she looked like.

“Did you turn him in or something?” Veronica asked as she narrowed her eyes at a drunk Hermione Lodge.

Her mother let out a bitter laugh.

“Really? Why would I do that when we’ve had such a _wonderful_ life?” She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Veronica didn’t really believe that her mother would do something so bold. She was too scared, too dependent on Hiram to ever try to screw him over so callously. No, her mother had nothing to do with it, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been haunted by Hiram’s toeing the line between jail and freedom for the past 18 years of their marriage, leading to a drinking problem that caused many mornings of Veronica finding her mother passed out somewhere in the house before she had to leave for school. Trying her best to get her mom cleaned up and in bed before Hiram woke up and before her driver honked to let her know they were running late.

“So what do we do now, mom?” Veronica asked, trying to not sound as panicked at she felt.

She knew they needed to call her dad’s attorney and his business partners, his secretary, anyone that could help get her dad out of this mess he was in.

But Hermione only shrugged as she turned to leave, mumbling.

“Burn in hell where we belong, I guess…”

 

\-----

It was impossible for Jughead to not notice the raven haired beauty as she came waltzing down the main hallway of Riverdale High School like she owned the place.

She definitely stuck out, but not necessarily in bad way, just in a different way. This girl seemed as if she was some type of high society sophisticate. Something new that Riverdale wasn’t used to and wouldn’t know quite what to do with. He already felt sorry for her. She would have a hard time fitting in. And he knew a thing or two about fitting in.

“Ah, look. It’s the new girl, Veronica Lodge.” Betty said quietly as she walked up behind Jughead.

“Veronica Lodge? Should I know that name?” Jughead asked. He wasn’t quite caught up on his pop culture knowledge.

“Mmm, no. She’s just some rich girl from New York. I only know because I was in the office when she came in this morning for her tour with Kevin.”

Jughead shrugged, doing his best to act as if he could care less. 

“How do you know she’s rich?” He asked.

Betty pointed to Veronica’s high heels.

“She’s wearing Louboutin’s and carrying a Coach purse.” She replied with a chuckle, as if it was obvious to anyone with eyes.

“Those names mean nothing to be, Betts.” Jughead said as his eyes continued to follow the girl as she walked past him.

He suddenly caught the scent of her expensive smelling perfume, and couldn’t help but notice how well her dress hugged her curves. Especially her backside. He admonished himself for even looking at her in that way, for even looking at her at all. This girl was almost certainly the typical type that would just look down on him as if he was a piece of trash on her fancy marble floor.

“So, you gonna meet me at Pop’s later?” Betty asked, hopeful.

Jughead turned to look at her.

“Uh, sorry, Betty. I forgot I have to do that tutoring thing after school. I got dragged into it by Mr. Hall.”

Betty frowned, disappointed at the news.

“That sucks, Jug. I'm sorry." She said as they began to walk  down the hall towards class.

"Well…maybe I could just come by your trailer tonight…it’s been a few days since we last…ya know…kinda missing it.” She said with a sultry grin as she tugged at the waistband of Jughead’s jeans.

Jughead faked a smile at the girl he cared so much about but only had a friends with benefits relationship with. Betty was important to him, and a great friend. They’d been sleeping together for a couple of months now, having started the late night hookups in the middle of summer after the 4th of July cookout at Midge Klump’s house.

Jughead had tried so hard to make himself feel something more than a sexual attraction and platonic friendship with Betty Cooper, the pride of Riverdale, but he just couldn’t seem to feel the way he knew he probably should.

There was just something missing between them.

He knew Betty wanted more, but he just hadn’t been able to give it to her. Maybe it was because they led very different lives and wanted different things. Even though they were still so young, the differences were too big of a deal to Jughead to just push aside and ignore.

It didn’t help that he was a Southside Serpent and lived a dark and dangerous life on the Southside of town. He got himself into things that he never uttered a word about to Betty. He knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it. She could hardly stomach it whenever he wore his Serpent jacket around her, always bristling at the sight of it like the jacket was alive and ready to bite her at any given moment.

Finding a girl he could connect with was something Jughead hadn’t had any luck with so far. Not even a Southside girl, or a Serpent girl, seemed to fit the bill. He had even dated Toni Topaz, a fellow Serpent, for a while and there was still something that just hadn’t worked between them.

Jughead had begun to wonder if there was something wrong with him, something broken about him, and maybe he just wasn’t equipped for love. It bothered him, but he did his best to not think about it. That even if he wasn’t meant for love, he would find other things to bide his time. For the most part, he was happy to be on his own, with a sex life but no ties to anyone. It suited him. But there was always that little part in the back of his mind that longed for a connection, for someone to understand him on a level that no one else seemed to.

As he watched this Veronica Lodge girl walk down the hall ahead of him, he couldn’t help but feel something deep down that had suddenly ignited within him. He didn’t know what it meant, but he knew he needed to find a way to snuff it out. He didn’t even know her. She was just some stranger. A beautiful one. But he knew danger when he saw it and Veronica Lodge was dangerous in more ways than one.

\-----

“So you see, Roosevelt refused to back down from any of these challenges. It was why he was able to lead these exhibitions that were mapped out and are still used to this day.”

Jughead was sitting in Mr. Hall’s room after school, trying to tutor Moose on the book they had to read for English class about Theodore Roosevelt’s journey through the Amazon. But Moose looked like he’d rather be getting a root canal than be at peer tutoring, listening to Jughead drone on about a book he would never end up reading all the way through.

“Uh…yeah…I still don’t really get why he went there when he like…got super sick from those bugs.”

Jughead looked at Moose like he actually had antlers growing out of his head.

“Damn it, Moose, did you even read the first chapter, at least?”

But Moose only shrugged.

Jughead was about to go into an analysis of Chapter 1 when the new girl known as Veronica Lodge suddenly entered the classroom, turning every single head in the room, and approached Mr. Hall’s desk.

“Hi, Mr. Hall. I was told to come by here to get caught up on my Anatomy class. The school I came from was a bit behind Mr. Green’s class.”

Mr. Hall nodded as he looked over the notebook paper Veronica had handed him.

“Ah, the nervous system. I think Dilton can help you.” Mr. Hall said as he pointed to where Dilton sat, reading a book and waiting for someone to tutor.

“Excellent.” Veronica replied as she turned to head over to where Dilton sat staring at her like he was suddenly catatonic.

Suddenly, she locked eyes with Jughead.

The way she looked at him made him feel like she was looking right through him, down to his soul. Her chocolate brown eyes were captivating, penetrating. And as much as he wanted to, Jughead couldn’t look away.

“So…can I pay you to write my paper or not?” Moose was asking, shaking Jughead from his trance.

“Uh, no. I don’t have time for that shit. Sorry.” Jughead replied once Veronica's eyes had left his, and she now sat talking to Dilton about axons and neurotransmitters.

“Bet you’d do it for the new girl if she asked you.” Moose said with a devious chuckle.

Jughead scoffed.

“No…I wouldn’t.”

But Moose shook his head, smiling.

“Dude, she’s _hot_. Too hot for you. Too hot for anyone in this school. Don’t waste your time.”

Jughead didn’t reply and instead began to discuss with Moose how Roosevelt’s son had joined him on the expedition since he’d been living in South America and had managed to survive Malaria many times. He knew Moose wasn’t listening, but he didn’t care. He needed the distraction from Veronica Lodge.

When the tutoring session was up, Jughead stood casually outside the classroom, tying and retying his shoe and trying not to look like he was waiting for Veronica. But he was. Why he was, he had no idea. But he was compelled to offer tutoring to her instead of Dilton, who he knew didn’t have as good of a grade in their Anatomy class as Jughead did.

She finally came flouncing out, giving him a good look at her long, slender legs. He swallowed hard before speaking.

“Hey, new girl.” He said as he stood up.

She turned and eyed him curiously. There was something about the way she looked at him that made his pulse race, and it pissed him off. He immediately regretted his decision to talk to her, but it was too late.

“So I…uh…heard you are needing anatomy tutoring. I happen to know quite a lot about the human body. You know…if you need someone who’s really an expert to…um…help you out.”

But Veronica only laughed, as if she was amused by his offer.

“Wow, is that some kind of pickup line? And here I thought I had heard them all.”

But before Jughead could reply, she had turned around and started walking down the hall, her high heels clacking against the linoleum floor, leaving him feeling like an even bigger fool than he already was.

 

\-----

Veronica Lodge hated being the new girl. It was a lot of work.

Most of it came from the fact that she didn’t want anyone to think she was weak, to think she was a target. So if it meant sticking her nose in the air and delivering cutting remarks to fellow classmates, even if it made her seem like a raging bitch, she would do it.

No one needed to know that she was no longer the rich, New York sophisticate. She was a just a girl, living with her grandparents while her dad was locked away in an upstate New York prison and her mom was in rehab somewhere far enough away that Veronica couldn't even visit her. There was no more trust fund or fancy parties or days spent shopping on Park Ave.

Now, she was just your average teenage girl in some small town, and no longer the sparkling diamond in a world of gemstones.

So when the cute guy with the beanie had talked to her after the tutoring class, she hadn’t wanted to give in to having any interest in him. She would never want a guy like that, studious and mysterious, to know about what a shit turn her life had taken. She didn’t want anyone to look down on her, or even worse, feel sorry for her.

At least she had her new, cherry red Mustang convertible to at least give the semblance of the kind of perception she wanted her new classmates to have of her. Her grandparents had given her their “date night” car so she could get around Riverdale and have a ride to the job she’d have to get. But she knew they had also wanted to do something special for her to make it up to her that she was now stuck living with them. Veronica had thanked them over and over for giving her the sweet, little ride. And the first place she had driven it to was Pop’s Chock-O-Lit shop to apply for a serving job.

She knew everyone would wonder why she was working, so she had decided she wouldn’t tell anyone anything, and just let them make up their own assumptions about why the rich, new girl had a job as a diner waitress. Maybe they would think it was some social experiment, or that she was using her hard earned money to give back to charity. She didn’t care what they thought as long as they didn’t know the truth, that she needed the money to save up for college. She wasn’t going to be able to rely on her dad or mom anymore in that regard.

She would have to make her own way now, and she would do it by any means possible.

\------

“That’s my seat.”

Veronica looked up to see the boy with the beanie standing over her, glaring at her. So she made a big show of looking all over the chair she had sat down in after arriving to her English class.

“Hmmm…interesting…I don’t see a name on this chair.” She said as she looked up at him and gave him a smirk.

“What is your name anyway?”

The boy continued to scowl at her, but there was something forced about it. It was almost like he wanted to be mad at her but he really wasn’t mad at all. More like annoyed, but not about her sitting in his seat.

“Jughead Jones.” He mumbled as he sat down behind her.

Veronica wasn’t surprised that this unusual guy had such an unusual name, an obvious nickname of some sort.

“Veronica Lodge.” She replied as she held out her hand to shake his, but he ignored it.

“I know who you are. People won’t shut up about the new girl from New York in her new designer whoever shoes.”

Veronica nodded, but didn’t say anything in response.

“What? The Girl From the Big City doesn’t like that people are all in a frenzy over her?” He asked, somewhat pleased that he’d made her uncomfortable.

Veronica put on her best fake smile.

“Sounds wonderful, actually.” She said before turning around.

She opened up her notebook to go over her homework for what seemed like the millionth time. She had finished it before school had even ended the day before, having done it during lunch while she’d sat alone outside the cafeteria under a tree. She was still so new to Riverdale High that she hadn’t yet been invited to hang out with any of the cliques, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to anyway.

People were talking about her, sure. But no one was talking _to_ her. Not unless they had to. It was isolating and lonely, two things she felt far too much of lately.

“Hey.” She heard Jughead say behind her.

“Hmmm?” She murmured, not turning around.

She didn’t want him to see the tears that were playing at the corners of her eyes.

“That offer to tutor you in Anatomy still stands. I wasn’t throwing you a line yesterday. I actually have the best grade in that class.”

Veronica smiled to herself. Either Jughead Jones had a conscience or he just had an incessant need to prove that he was the best in Anatomy class. She figured it was the latter.

She turned to look at him, her heart pounding. She couldn’t deny that he was the best looking guy she’d ever laid eyes on. Ever. His blue eyes and dark hair were striking against his tan, flawless skin. He was almost ethereal.

“Thank you. I just might take you up on that.”

She wasn’t sure if she’d actually take him up on the offer or not. He didn’t seem like the friendliest of people, and he certainly didn’t seem to want to be _her_ friend. And there was a part of her that wanted to show him that she could get caught up on her own, that she didn’t need anyone’s help, especially his. That if she was going to be alone in this new town, she might as well go all the way with it.

Veronica continued to look through her notebook. She had written an essay on Theodore Roosevelt from the book she’d had to read before she’d left her former school. Riverdale High was reading the same book.

She smiled to herself, remembering her dad’s reaction to her assignment.

_“Now old Teddy, he was a real man’s man! And my favorite president. He once said, ‘do what you can, with what you have, where you are’. That’s sound advice, Ronnie.”_

Veronica felt a tear roll down her cheek at the memory and realized how much those words her dad had quoted meant to her now, so much more than they had when he’d first said them. Now that she was in Riverdale, she would do just that. She would do what she could with what she had. She had no other choice.

 

\-----

“Jughead, do you have anything to add?”

Jughead looked up from his spot at the bar of the Whyt Wyrm during the weekly Serpent meeting. They had been discussing a new construction job that the Serpents had managed to secure several positions for. Jughead had been able to have a big hand in it by having asked Fred Andrews to put in a word with the foreman about the Serpents.

“We start Monday.” Jughead replied.

Whoops and hollers echoed throughout the bar at the good news. Jughead had been trying hard to get the Serpents into some legitimate business dealings now that his dad wasn’t around to do it himself.

Jughead knew the Serpents would always have their darker days of doing darker things to make money, but right now, they would be out of trouble for a little white and Jughead was relieved.

“Nicely done.” Jughead’s best friend, Sweetpea, said as he clapped Jughead on the back and took a seat next to him at the bar.

“Your dad would be proud, man.”

Jughead grinned. Wanting to do whatever he could to make his dad proud, and the Serpents happy, was everything to him.

“I hope so. This shit is no joke. I don’t know how my dad did it.”

Sweetpea sighed.

“Now you know why he was away from home so much.”

Jughead nodded.

Sweetpea knew all about Jughead’s home life and how rough it had been over the years. He’d always tried to be a supportive friend, letting Jughead crash on his parents couch many times when Jughead was in between foster homes and his own home. He was thankful to have Sweetpea in his corner, but he’d envied his friend immensely. Sweetpea came from a good home, a family of Serpents that started with his grandparents having met while being in the gang together. Sweetpea’s parents and brothers were also members. Things hadn’t always been easy in their home, but they all loved each other and stuck by each other through the rough times no matter what. Jughead hadn't always been able to say the same about his own family.

Jughead could only imagine what that was like.

“So are we going to hit up that security detail at that new bougie teen club on the Northside?”

Jughead groaned remembering the job he, Sweetpea, and their other good friend, Fangs, had signed on to do. Jughead could only imagine the Riverdale High kids that would show up at the new teen club.

“I know it sucks, but at least we’ll get to check out all the hot girls!” Sweetpea said, doing his best to be upbeat.

Jughead immediately saw Veronica’s face flash in his mind at Sweetpea’s words. As much as he knew he shouldn’t want to see her there, he did.

“Let’s get this over with.” Jughead said as he grabbed his Serpent jacket.

Sweetpea chuckled.

“That’s the spirit!”

\-----

“Your mother sent you a letter.”

Veronica sat up straight in her bed at the words her grandmother had just said to her. She had been reading a book, trying to escape for a little while, when her grandmother had knocked on her bedroom door.

“Is she allowed to do that?” Veronica asked, curiously.

She didn’t know much about rehab or how things worked when someone was in it. She wasn't sure if it was anything like a prison in it's own right.

But her grandmother nodded, a sympathetic look on her face.

“It came in the mail today. But you don’t have to read it if you’re not ready. She understands that you may need some time.”

Veronica took the letter that her grandmother held out to her, running her fingers over the envelope. The return address was from some place in California. So far away from Riverdale. Veronica realized she’d never been that far from her mother in her whole life, much less for as long as she’d been away from her. She suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of homesickness.

“You talked to mom? Is she okay?” Veronica asked, concerned.

As angry as she was with her mother, she couldn’t help but hope she was alright.

“She’s doing fine, Ronnie. It’s not easy on her, but she is doing what she needs to be doing. And she misses you and loves you. She wanted you to know that.”

Veronica let the tears run down her cheeks as she tucked the letter away in her bedside table drawer. She wasn’t ready to read it. Everything was still so raw.

Her grandmother gave her a reassuring pat on the knee before getting up to go back to cooking dinner.

Veronica knew she needed a distraction. She had to get the painful thoughts out of her mind. At least for the night. She scanned the flier she’d found taped to her locker earlier that day at school. A new teen club had opened just a few miles away from her grandparent’s home. Maybe a night of dancing was what she needed.

\-----

Jughead realized the security detail was one of the easiest jobs he’d ever had. All he had to do was look threatening and count how many people came through the doors of the new club.

“Wish you could join us, Jones!” Archie said to his friend as he made his way inside, slugging his friend on the arm.

“I don’t!” Jughead replied with a smirk.

“Well looky here, Jughead Jones! Come dance with me when you get a chance!”  Betty said as she came walking through the line.

"Hey, Betts. I don't think I'm allowed to do that. Plus, you know I don't fucking dance."

Betty chuckled as she reached out to touch him, but retracted her hand when she noticed he was wearing a familiar leather jacket.

"Can you take a break, at least?" She asked, a somber look in her eyes.

Jughead shook his head no.

"We'll hook up later, I promise." He replied, doing his best to give her a reassuring smile.

He would always have a soft spot for Betty, and hated to disappoint her.

He was still smiling as Betty entered the club before his eyes suddenly landed on Veronica Lodge. Almost instantaneously, his heart thundered in his chest at the sight of her.

She looked breathtakingly beautiful in a short, black, sleeveless cocktail dress. Her hair was pulled up off of her neck, revealing the shimmering diamond studs she wore in her ears. She looked so out of place among their Riverdale peers, unlike anything any of them had ever seen before. Jughead couldn't take his eyes off of her, and he hated himself for it.

“Wow, almost didn’t recognize you with that smile on your face.” Veronica said to Jughead as she approached him.

“What can I say? I’m having the time of my life counting all of you tragic lemmings.” He said, trying his best to look away from her by focusing his attention on the brand new red velvet rope in front of him.

“At least it’s a lovely night. Glad you're having fun.” She replied sarcastically, seemingly unaffected by his insult as she made her way through the club doors.

Jughead sighed as she disappeared into the growing crowd inside the club. He didn’t know why he felt the need to keep a protective eye on her. Maybe it was because she stood out so much, she was sure to be hurt by it at some point, in some way. But he also didn’t know her. She might look like an angel, but that didn’t mean she was one. Jughead reminded himself that he virtually knew nothing about Veronica Lodge, and he needed to keep it that way.

\-----

 

Veronica felt on edge, but the teen club didn’t sell any alcohol to take the edge off. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t any somewhere.

She had heard rumblings amongst her peers that someone by the name of Reggie, had a flask of vodka on him. And just as Veronica set out to find him, she stopped herself when she saw her mom’s letter pop into her mind.

She hadn’t read it yet, but she knew she would eventually. And in that moment Veronica realized how much she didn't want to be like her mother, drinking alcohol out of a dependence on it and not just for some innocent high school fun. She especially didn't want to party like that when she was around a bunch of people she didn’t know. There was no one that would look out for her, or care about her if she got out of hand. Hermione had always had Veronica to do those things for her, but here in Riverdale, Veronica had no one. And the last thing she wanted, or needed, was for everyone to think of her as messy drunk new girl.

She especially didn't want that Jughead Jones to see her get wasted and think even less of her than he already seemed to. She had noticed the way his eyes had widened when he saw her walk up to the velvet rope. For a moment, she wondered if he'd softened his rigid stance on not wanting to have anything to do with her. But he had quickly corrected himself and his stony demeanor had returned. It didn't stop Veronica's pulse from racing as she walked past him, feeling as though his gorgeous blue eyes were still on her.

Veronica walked around the new club for a little while, taking in the scene. It was nice, but it wasn't much like the clubs she'd gone to back home in the city. But for a place like Riverdale, it was just enough to be a fun place to hang out with friends on a weekend night. Too bad she didn't have any friends yet. And as she wandered aimlessly, she found herself feeling even more and more alone, and more embarrassed the longer she stayed. Being so brutally ignored wasn't anything she had ever experienced before in her whole life. She'd always been the center of attention in most situations. What a wake up call moving to Riverdale had been.

“What am I even doing here?” She muttered to herself as she watched her Riverdale classmates dancing and laughing, having a good time like teenagers who had grown up together do, who knew each other so well.

She was, without a doubt, a total outcast.

Veronica finally had enough and decided it was time to leave. At one time, this had been her life, being at clubs and partying with her friends, getting drunk and hooking up. And it had been a privileged life of recklessness. But she was no longer privileged and she no longer wanted to be reckless.

She didn't look back behind her as she left the club, even when she’d heard someone call her name. But no one knew her here. She had to have been hearing things.

\-----

 

Jughead sat in his favorite corner of the lunchroom, by himself, his laptop open, writing busily. Just as he did every day, and enjoying every second of it.

And he was usually too into his work to notice anything around him, but on this particular day, he found himself scanning the cafeteria until his eyes landed on the new girl, Veronica Lodge.

She was sitting alone too, but something told Jughead that it wasn't by choice, no matter how hard she tried to look impervious and bored, as if sitting alone was a sign of self-assuredness and independence. She held her head high and ate her small salad slowly, trying to not look like she was in any hurry to finish.

Jughead couldn’t help but wonder why she had left the club the Friday night before when she’d only been there for less than 30 minutes. He hadn’t been able to stop himself from calling her name, wanting to know if she was okay, but she either hadn’t heard him or hadn’t cared. So he had followed her on his motorcycle until he saw her pull safely into the driveway of a one-story, brick house on a side street near the downtown Riverdale area.

He waited and watched as a light came on in one of the front windows. Veronica’s room. He stayed until the light went off again before starting up his motorcycle and heading back to the club. He didn’t care if he got in trouble for bailing on his post. Uncharacteristically, at least for him, he had cared more about the new girl that looked a lot lonelier than she was willing to let on.

He knew he could sacrifice his private writing time to go sit with her, regardless of if she wanted his particular company or not. But he figured he was better than nothing.

He sighed as he shut his laptop and slid it into his bag before getting up from his comfortable spot.

Veronica looked up at him as he approached, an almost hopeful expression on her face.

Whenever she looked at him, he got an incredibly unnerving feeling in his chest. It wasn't something he had ever felt before and he didn't like it.

He barely glanced at Veronica as he walked past her, not saying a word.

“Good afternoon to you to, Jughead Jones!” Veronica said cheerily from behind him.

Jughead waved his hand in the air carelessly, unable to make himself turn around. The roller coaster he was on when it came to Veronica would have to take a turn eventually. He knew it was inevitable, but he wasn’t ready to give in yet.

 

 

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Jughead's interactions have been less than friendly now that she's officially a resident of Riverdale and a student at Riverdale High School. But things on the surface don't always give away what's going on deep down...

Veronica gazed at herself in her full length mirror after having put on her Pop's uniform for the first time. It was hideous, and she would have to think of some way to modify it, just as she'd once had to do with her private school uniform that she'd had to wear when she had still been going to school in New York. 

She remembered how proud of herself she had been when she had tweaked the outdated uniform to be a lot more fun and sexy to wear, making it such a popular statement among her classmates that all the girls had done the same.

Even though the school had tried to stop them from wearing their altered style, the girls had all pushed back to the point where they'd been allowed to keep wearing the uniform just how Veronica had designed it. Her classmates had had her back, cheering her on as she'd fought their school administration, and it had been one of those memories she cherished.

But she didn't have anything like that yet at her new school. And she'd been determined to act like she didn't care that she was by herself most of the time. But she couldn't help but feel completely mortified from thinking that Jughead Jones was going to sit with her at lunch the day before. In the moment when he'd been walking towards her she had panicked, wondering what they would even talk about or if he would sit down and start talking to her about the nervous system that she hadn't quite gotten caught up on yet.

But he had done nothing. He'd just walked on by, barely acknowledging her existence.

She sighed, thinking it had probably been best any way that he hadn't sat with her. There was something about Jughead that frightened her, and not necessarily in a bad way. All she knew was that keeping her distance from him might be better than trying to be his friend. She just needed to do her best to keep him out of her thoughts, and she hoped having a job would help her with that.

As nervous as she was about entering the working world, she also new it was a great step towards growth for her as a person. If anything, she had to look at her time in Riverdale as character building, something she knew she needed. She was ready to find out what she was really made of. She was done being spoiled and catered to. It was time to really change everything.

\----- 

 

Jughead tried not to stare as he watched Veronica Lodge try desperately to scoop ice cream neatly into a glass dish, but she was making a mess all over the counter. She had only been working at Pop’s for a week and hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it yet.

“ _Damn_ it.” He heard her mumble as she licked ice cream off one of her fingers before trying to dig up another scoop from the container.

Jughead could feel a twitch in his jeans at the way her tongue caught the drip of vanilla ice cream on her pinky finger. He couldn’t fathom how someone could be so sexy without even trying. She even made the outdated Pop’s uniform of a hideous yellow t-shirt and khaki shorts look incredible. And he found himself thinking about all the things he could do with the new girl and a little bit of ice cream if they were alone. His heart pounded. He rolled his eyes at himself for thinking about her in that way. For thinking about her at all.

Suddenly, like she’d known there was someone thinking about sex and ice cream, she looked up and her eyes met his. He’d been caught looking at her.

“Getting a good laugh, Jones?” She asked, obviously irritated that she’d had an audience to her struggle.

Jughead didn’t respond as he looked away. He hated it when she caught him watching her. But it was almost like he had no control over his own eyes whenever she was around. He decided he needed to just leave and do his best to avoid her shift at Pop’s in the future, but before he could get up from his seat, Archie Andrews was walking in and waved at his best friend.

“Jug! Just the man I wanted to see.” Archie said as he took a seat across from him and grabbed a few of Jughead’s French fries.

“What’s up, Arch?” Jughead asked, welcoming the distraction from stealing glances at Veronica.

“Can I get you and a couple of Serpents to help the Bulldogs with something?” He asked with a devious grin.

“What _exactly_ does the football team need?” Jughead asked suspiciously.

Jughead had been a member of the Southside Serpents ever since his sophomore year, when his dad had gone to prison for taking the fall on a marijuana bust. Jughead felt he needed to find a way to help keep the peace in the gang for which his dad was the leader of. It had his benefits, even though it had hardened Jughead in a way he had never expected. He’d lost his innocence a long time ago, in more ways than one.

“We need to acquire a pig. Not a big one, but one that will move fast. Like a piglet or something.”

Jughead rolled his eyes.

“May I ask _why_ you need a pig, Archibald?”

Archie began to laugh to himself, as if just the idea of why he needed a pig was humorous enough.

“We’re playing a prank on the Greendale High Eagles before the game this Friday. It’s going to be epic if we can pull it off. We want to put baby oil on the pig and let it loose inside the school. It will be too slippery to catch…” Archie wasn’t even able to finish his sentence before he started to laugh again.

Jughead shook his head at how ridiculous the prank sounded but smiling at Archie's pure excitement about it.

“So we need your help getting a pig and also getting into the school. You still a breaking and entering champ?”

Jughead nodded, but he didn’t like the way Archie took pride in his best friend’s uncanny ability to break into places undetected. It was a skill Jughead had mastered but not because he’d wanted to. It was as if being a Serpent and breaking the law without consequence had been written into his DNA.

“Yeah…Arch…we should be able to help you guys. But you know it will cost you.”

Archie nodded.

“The guys have all pulled together cash. Name your price.”

Jughead and Archie talked over their deal for helping out with the high school rivalry prank war. He was glad Archie got such joy out of it, but Jughead couldn’t relate. He didn’t have time for silly fun like Archie did. It had a lot to do with why he and Archie didn’t hang out as much as they once had.

“Wow…I didn’t know the new girl worked here.” Archie suddenly said, raising his eyebrows as Veronica walked by while doing her best to balance dinner plates full of burgers and fries for a table of customers behind where Jughead and Archie sat.

Jughead dared not look turn to look at her. He didn’t want her to catch him again.

“Perfect timing too. I keep meaning to ask her out.” Archie said with a smirk.

Jughead immediately felt his heart beat quicken.

“Really? Her? I didn’t think she’d be your type.”

Archie chuckled.

“Any girl that is _that_ smoking hot is my type, Juggy.” He said as he turned to gaze at Veronica as he started to get up.

Jughead felt his face growing warm as he anxiously watched Archie approach where Veronica was now standing at the counter, fumbling with filling salt shakers.

He couldn’t hear their conversation but the flirtatious smile on Veronica’s face, as well as the blush in her cheeks was enough to indicate that she was fully enjoying Archie’s attention.

Jughead should have known Archie would go after her. She was fresh meat, new and different, and Archie was bored with the same girls at Riverdale High. Jughead knew Archie well enough to know that he would fully enjoy his time with Veronica before he’d dump her and move on once he was bored.

“Doesn’t fucking matter.” He mumbled to himself as he lay his money and tip on the table before grabbing his leather jacket and exiting the Chock-O-Lit Shop before he had to endure Archie’s gloating over scoring a date with the mysterious beauty.

Jughead refused to let it bother him as he climbed onto his motorcyle and left the parking lot to head to his Serpent meeting at the Whyt Wyrm. Veronica was captivating only because she was new and nothing more, he told himself. She wasn’t the kind of girl he could ever see himself with, much less actually be with. He vowed to not give a shit about _anything_ that had to do with her, and he would revoke his offer to help her in Anatomy. He’d only offered the tutoring in the first place to prove that he knew more than Dilton, his main academic competitor next to Betty.

Betty.

Jughead decided he’d take a quick detour before going to his meeting. He’d do the usual, meet her in the shed in her backyard, fuck her hard, then be on his way. It was the only thing he could think to do to get rid of the pent up tension he was feeling. And he’d try his best to not think about a naked Veronica licking ice cream off of his dick while he was at it.

\-----

 

Veronica collapsed on her bed when she got home from her shift at Pop’s. She was exhausted.

She’d never had a job before and she quickly realized why they called it “work.” That’s exactly what it was. And for working as hard as she did, she still sucked at it.  The only thing she’d managed to get the hang of was remembering her customer’s names. She liked chatting with the people that she waited on. It made her feel a lot less lonely in this new place.

But things were looking up. The red-headed popular football player they called Archie had asked her out on a date, a party after the Friday night football game. She had said yes.

She hadn’t expected to be asked out on a date when she saw Archie come into Pop’s and take a seat with the broody Jughead. She had even wondered if maybe Archie would have the same sort of shitty attitude Jughead had when it came to her. She couldn’t figure out why she would often see Jughead looking at her with total disdain on his face, like just her presence was an invasion of his personal space.

She figured he must not like new people, that he was one of those snotty small town boys that didn’t like anything to be different, or didn’t like the intellectual competition. At her last school, Veronica had been number four in her class, and might have managed to make it to becoming Valedictorian if she’d been able to stay at her exclusive private school for her senior year.

And she had noticed she’d gotten a better score on their most recent test in their shared calculus class. It had given her a chuckle that she had done better than Jughead had.

But she couldn’t help but find her pulse racing whenever she saw Jughead around school or at Pop’s. He was nothing like the boys she had dated. And she had tried hard to shake him from her thoughts, but she was failing miserably at it.

Even worse, she found herself wondering about him all the time. Like why he seemed to keep to himself but everyone knew who he was. Why he had been working security at the teen club. Why he wore that jacket with the ominous looking snake on the back. And why he hung out with the blonde cheerleader who looked at him so adoringly while he barely seemed to care. They didn’t seem like they were a couple, but there was definitely something going on with her. And Veronica found herself oddly, and regretfully, jealous of the girl they called Betty.

It was clear that he wanted nothing to do with Veronica. Maybe blondes were more his type. Whatever his deal was, she wasn’t going to let herself pine over someone who would never give her a second thought. Instead, she would look forward to her date with Archie Andrews. He would be the safe bet that Jughead obviously wasn’t.

\----

 

“Last night was...amazing…” Betty murmured in Jughead’s ear as she came up behind him the next morning in the hallway at school.

Jughead winced to himself as he shut his locker. He should have known better than to take out his sexual frustration regarding the stunning Veronica Lodge on the sweet Betty Cooper. But he had been desperate.

“Glad you enjoyed it.” He replied as he turned around and grinned at the pretty blonde.

“Are you going to the football game on Friday night?” Betty asked, her eyes gleaming amorously.

Jughead could almost kick himself for giving into his need to fuck the night before. It had only made Betty even more attached. Every single time. And it killed him to know he’d only end up disappointing her with his lack of interest in pursuing anything more.

“Um no…not planning on it.” He replied as he began to walk down the hall towards his U.S. History class, dreading being hassled by Moose again about writing his paper for him.

“I know the games aren’t your thing but there’s going to be a huge after party at Reggie’s. You should come.” She said, the eagerness obvious in her voice.

Jughead sighed.

“Yes! Come to the party, Jug!” He suddenly heard Archie say as he fell in step next to them.

“I’ll be there. And I’m bringing the new girl as my date.”

Jughead tried to hide his surprise at Archie’s news, though he wasn’t surprised at all. Veronica seemed exactly like the kind of girl that would want to date the school’s bigtime football god.

“Veronica Lodge? Wow, Arch. Didn’t waste any time did you?” Betty asked with a laugh.

“What can I say? I enjoy being the welcome wagon.” Archie replied before saying a quick goodbye to his two friends before heading to his own class.

“So, what do you say, Jug? Care to make an appearance to what is sure to be the party of the year?” Betty asked again as she nudged Jughead in the side.

Jughead sighed. He knew it was a bad idea to go, but he suddenly felt compelled.

“Yeah, I might be able to make that happen.” He replied before giving Betty a quick kiss on the cheek as he stopped in front of the doorway to his class.

Betty grinned excitedly.

“Awesome! No one will believe me when I tell them.”

Jughead groaned.

“Please, Betts, don’t announce it to the world.”

But Betty just gave him a sly grin.

“It’s like hell froze over, Jughead Jones. That’s major news.”

Jughead chuckled. As much as going to a high school party was against everything he stood for, he somehow felt like a glutton for punishment. But his need to keep an eye on Archie and Veronica was just too strong for him to resist.

He’d let himself regret it later.

\-----

“And you should totally join the Rivervixens. You would love it! We have the best time. We do a sleepover pizza party every month. It’s the best. Just total girl time. And someone always brings the booze. Usually Cheryl!”

Veronica listened as Betty Cooper and Cheryl Blossom droned on about all the things Veronica should do now that she was a student at Riverdale High School. Veronica suddenly had a whole new batch of friends now that she was attending a party with Archie, and she found herself wondering if she’d taken her previous loneliness for granted.

Being a cheerleader wasn’t her thing, and neither were sleepover pizza parties. But she smiled and nodded as she sipped her beer, catching a glimpse of Archie every so often as he waved at her and smiled. He’d been a perfect gentleman all night and completely sweet. He didn’t at all seem like the player that she had heard mumblings about in the halls of school.

And when he had kissed her after the football game, his hair damp with sweat as he pulled off his helmet, a crooked smile on his face, it had been perfectly sweet. But that was it. She hadn’t felt any real sparks, nothing that made her knees weak and her pulse race the way that Jughead Jones did to her. It was maddening.

And that’s just what she felt when out of nowhere he came walking into the party with two other dark haired guys in leather jackets.

It was all she could do to not mutter the words she was thinking in her mind when she saw him run his hand through his dark locks, not wearing his usual beanie, and looking perfectly menacing as usual.

“Holy _shit_ , he actually showed up.” Betty said under her breath.

Veronica looked over at the blonde girl to see that she too had noticed Jughead walk into the party.

“Are you still fucking him, Bettikins?” Cheryl asked with an edge in her voice, as if she enjoyed outing Betty’s sex life to a total stranger like Veronica.

Betty glared at the red-lipped heiress to the Blossom fortune.

“Not that it’s any of your business, Cheryl, but yes. He came by the other night after hanging out with Archie at Pop’s.”

Veronica suddenly wondered if that’s why Jughead had looked so moody when he’d been at the local hangout. He’d needed to get laid. And she found herself wanting to ask Betty every single detail she could get about what sleeping with Jughead was like.

“Is he your boyfriend, Betty?” Veronica asked casually, not wanting to seem too eager to know the answer to her probing question.

Betty sighed.

“Um…no. We kind of dated briefly over the summer…but we keep things casual between us…you know…no labels…”

Veronica couldn’t help but feel sorry for the adorable but naïve Betty Cooper. She was obviously crazy about their resident bad boy, but he was the one holding all the cards in what went on between the two of them. Veronica knew that if she wanted to, she could help Betty to have Jughead eating out of the palm of her hand with just a few tips. But she decided not to, and for her own selfish reasons.

“I better go see what my date is up to.” Veronica said as she quickly retreated from her new friends and headed to the kitchen for another cup of beer from the keg.

She was having fun, for the most part, and trying to find a way to fit in, and she didn’t want it ruined by Jughead’s glares and cutting remarks. Making herself scarce seemed her only option. But sadly, she wasn’t the least bit concerned about where her date was.

\-----

Jughead felt like a complete idiot being at the party where everyone looked at him, SweetPea, and Fangs as if they were aliens from another planet. Jughead had convinced his closest Southside friends to attend the party with him, much to their initial unwillingness to do so. But they had helped Archie and the other football players out with their prank on Greendale High so they felt deserving of a few beers before heading back to their side of town.

“Hey, there’s the chick from the maple syrup commercial. And isn’t that your girl?” Sweetpea asked as he pointed to where Betty, Cheryl and Veronica were standing.

“Um…no…she’s new…” Jughead muttered uncomfortably.

But Sweetpea laughed.

“Not the hot dark-haired one, asshole. I’m talking about the blonde. Betty, right?”

Jughead felt his neck getting warm from the awkwardness at having misunderstood his friend. Why he thought Sweetpea had meant Veronica, he wasn’t sure. But for a brief second, he’d enjoyed the idea of someone thinking that she was his girl.

“Uh…yeah, that’s Betty. But, she’s not my girl. We’re not together.”

Sweetpea nodded.

“I see…so then it must be the dark-haired one that you can’t take your eyes off of.”

Jughead shook his head as he looked at Sweetpea as if he was appalled by the assumption.

“I…I’m not looking at her.”

But Fangs and Sweetpea chuckled.

“Dude, she’s fucking hot as hell. Especially walking away. Look at that _luscious_ ass!” Fangs chimed in.

Jughead wanted to punch Fangs in the nose for his comments about Veronica but he was too distracted by the way Veronica was hightailing it towards the back of the house to even respond.

“Hey Jug!” Betty greeted with a giggle, a cup of something likely alcoholic in her hand.

“Hey Betts. What’s up?”

Betty shrugged.

“I didn’t think you’d show up…but now that you’re here, there’s a few bedrooms up for grabs…if you’re interested.”

Jughead ran his hand through his hair. This hadn’t been why he’d even come to the party in the first place, but he was curious to see if maybe Veronica had gone to find Archie and claim a room as well. He didn’t want to care, but he felt as though he had no control over wanting to know just how far she was willing to go with Archie. His jealously for his redheaded friend was out of his hands.

“Sure.” Jughead replied with a shrug.

He turned to Fangs and Sweetpea and signaled to them that he’d be back later. His two friends grinned from ear to ear, knowing Jughead was getting laid and proud of him for it.

Jughead followed Betty through the crowd of partygoers, keeping his eyes peeled for Veronica. Finally, he found her when he and Betty had entered a back living room that led to a hallway of bedrooms.

Veronica had a smile plastered on her face as Archie talked, his hands moving around wildly like he was telling her some kind of story about himself, trying to impress her. But Veronica looked as though she was barely listening and was taking long sips of her drink to keep herself entertained.

She glanced over in Jughead’s direction, noticing him with Betty. She got a look on her face that Jughead couldn’t quite read, but it seemed to be a cross between nervousness and curiosity.

She didn’t smile at Jughead and he didn’t smile either, but he held her gaze.

“Come on, Juggy! Rooms are filling up.” Betty said as she pulled Jughead into the hallway, breaking his eye contact with Veronica.

Jughead had nearly forgotten that he was with Betty as they reached an empty room.

“Uh…go on in, Betts. I’m going to use the bathroom real quick.”

Betty nodded, smiling seductively before going into the bedroom and shutting the door.

Jughead didn’t know what he’d say to Veronica, but he felt the need to go out and save her from being bored to death. Maybe he’d challenge her to a little competition, some Beer Pong or Quarters. He could tell she was competitive, just like him. But if he had to be honest with himself, he had no idea if he’d even talk to her at all after he had told himself he would avoid her at all costs.

All he knew for sure was that he felt edgier than usual that night. One more beer and he might get up the nerve to take her away from Archie completely.

But as he came back out of the hallway, he was met with a sight he hadn’t expected to see. Archie and Veronica were wrapped up in a warm embrace, kissing slow and intense, Archie’s hands on her waist as she ran her hands through Archie’s auburn locks.

Jughead could feel his hands balling into fists. And he quickly realized that coming to the party had been a huge mistake.

He stormed out of the room, wanting to get as far away from Archie and Veronica as possible.

“Let’s go.” He growled to Fangs and Sweetpea, who had been chatting with a couple of Rivervixens.

His friends followed behind, but neither one uttered a peep to Jughead. They knew he was angry, but they didn’t know what about and they weren’t going to ask.

\-----

 

Veronica hadn’t really planned on kissing Archie, but when she saw Jughead and Betty heading to the hallway of bedrooms, she needed a distraction from thinking about Jughead being naked and so close by.

Plus, it had shut Archie up from his boring story about the plays he’d made on the field that night. Veronica didn’t care a thing about football, but she could talk about poetry and literature all day. Something told her that Archie wasn’t into that type of conversation.

She had felt a flip flop in her stomach as Jughead stared at her, almost as if it wasn’t Betty that he was wanting to go to bed with. It had been so strange to see the look of desire in his eyes after how much he’d seemed to loathe Veronica. And she began to wonder if loathing her had all been just an act.

Veronica shook her head at the thought.

Regardless, it had made her crazy with jealousy to see Jughead going off with Betty, so she’d kissed Archie, partly out of being in denial and partly to make Jughead equally as jealous.

And it must have worked because he’d ended up leaving the party without having even been with Betty.

Betty had come out of the back bedroom area looking incredibly confused and incredibly pissed.

“Have you seen Jughead?” She’d asked Veronica and Archie.

But they had both shook their heads. They hadn’t actually seen Jughead go anywhere, but within about five minutes of searching, Betty hadn’t managed to locate him or his two friends.

“I can’t believe he just left!” She’d fumed.

Archie had tried to comfort his childhood friend.

“He probably had some emergency Serpent thing to attend to. You know he’s always disappearing like that.”

Veronica gave Archie a questioning look.

“Serpent thing?”

Archie shook his head in disapproval.

“Yeah, Jughead is a member of this biker gang from the Southside of town. His dad is the leader of it. So naturally…like father, like son.”

Veronica knew it wasn’t right to feel a carnal thrill at what Archie had just told her about Jughead. A gang member. It explained the jacket with the snake on it. She wasn’t sure if the lore of Jughead Jones could get much sexier.

“Biker gang, huh? Does he ride a motorcycle?”

 Archie nodded, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, he rides one. Why do you ask?” Betty asked with a suspicious look on her face.

Veronica shrugged, trying to act casual about this new information.

“Oh, um…just…my dad rides sometimes. But he’s not in a gang…I don’t think.”

Archie smiled.

“I should probably meet Mr. Lodge someday soon.” Archie said with a sly grin.

Veronica swallowed hard.

“Um…sure…someday maybe…yeah.” She had replied anxiously.

She wasn’t about to tell Archie that he had just taken a girl out on a date to a party with a dad who was currently serving time. She was afraid it would tarnish his clean cut image, and she didn’t want to be the reason why Archie’s reputation might get sullied.

Veronica lay in her bed feeling nervous. She wanted Archie to like her, she wanted him to want to keep seeing her, but only because she was desperate to be accepted. Maybe if she got herself established with Archie and his friends, they would look past her current situation once they all found out.

She didn’t have it in her to be an outcast. She wasn’t like Jughead. He was an outcast on his own accord. He would gladly be accepted into the cliché cliques of Riverdale High if he wanted to be. He was cool, hot, and smart. He would never have to try to be accepted. He already was.

But Veronica didn’t have that option. At least, not yet. She had to earn her spot and she’d have to do it by any means possible. 

\-----

 

Weeks went by and Jughead had managed to avoid Veronica as much as he could, except for when they were in class together.

But it hadn’t been hard. Veronica had seemed to not have a care in the world that Jughead hadn’t spoken to her, had done his best not to look at her, and had avoided her in the halls and at lunch.

And he certainly hadn’t attended anymore parties. He hadn’t gone to Pop’s much lately either.

But it didn’t matter how much he’s kept his distance from her physically. Mentally, she was on his mind way more than he wanted her to be.

Even while he was sitting in his meeting with the other Serpents at the Whyt Wyrm, all he could think about was that little blue dress she’d been wearing at school that day and how she’d been sent to the office when Ms. Grundy told her it was too short.

“It is inappropriate to wear something that…that _revealing_.” Grundy had said in her usual flustered and disapproving tone.

“Jealous?” Veronica had said with a smirk as she’d turned to head down the hallway to the office.

Ms. Grundy had gasped at how brazen the young girl had been, but instead of responding, she had turned on her heel and gone back into her music room.

Jughead couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Veronica was a feisty girl. That was for sure.

“Jughead, where are we on the funds we’ve been raising for your dad’s new attorney?” Tall Boy asked, jerking Jughead out of his reverie.

“Um…we’re reaching the goal. Slowly but surely. We need another $1500, but we should be able to make a nice amount of cash this weekend at the Southside swap meet.”

Tall Boy nodded, satisfied with Jughead’s report.

The Serpents had been trying for months to raise the money they needed to be able to afford the retainer for a high power attorney to take on FP’s case. The Serpents were never the same when FP wasn’t around and this latest stint in the slammer had been his longest yet.

And Jughead missed having his dad around. Things were tough at home when he was in jail. Jughead’s mom, Gladys, had to work even harder to make ends meet at her job as a hair dresser. And Jellybean was beginning to spend too much time with bad influences. Jughead wished he could be around more but his current job working in one of the other Serpents auto body shop kept him from being able to keep a better eye on his little sister.

He wanted to get a babysitter for her but so far he hadn’t managed to find anyone that he trusted enough, or was even available to help out.

“You know, Veronica has been looking to make a few extra bucks.” Archie said to Jug the next day at school when Jughead mentioned his plight to his old friend.

Archie and Veronica had been seeing each other regularly since the party Jughead had stormed out of when he’d seen the two kissing. Jughead usually tried to change the subject whenever Archie brought up anything about his new girlfriend, but this time, he was intrigued.

“Why would she need extra work? I thought you said that working at Pop’s was some sort of social experiment she was doing for Sociology class.”

Archie shrugged.

“I don’t know, dude. I think she wants some new Fendi purse that her parents are refusing to buy her because she lost her last one or something. I don’t know, I kind of zone out when she talks about shit like that.”

Jughead nodded, intrigued, and strangely excited at the prospect of hiring Veronica as Jellybean’s new keeper.

So later that day after Anatomy class, he approached the princess of the Northside.

“I hear you’re looking to make a few extra bucks.” Jughead said casually, but inside his heart was beating frantically.

The way Veronica looked at him almost made him want to forget the whole thing. It was like she was staring at an alien, but he knew it was just the shock of him actually speaking to her that made her look at him that way.

“Uh…yeah…I am…for a…um…massage. This really exclusive spa does the best massages in the area but my parents won’t pay for it. It’s too expensive…”

Jughead nodded, not mentioning the fact that she had told Archie something completely different. He wondered what her real motivations really were, but he figured she would never tell him. Not when he’d been so cold towards her lately.

“Yeah, well…I need a babysitter for my 12-year-old sister. Just on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, for a couple of hours in the afternoon when she gets out of school.”

Veronica smiled warmly.

“You have a little sister.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. As if the idea of Jughead having someone younger than him that he cared for made him more of a human.

“Her name is Jellybean, but she hates being called that. We call her JB.”

Veronica nodded.

“Well, that sounds like something a 12-year-old would want.” She said with a chuckle.

Jughead found himself completely mesmerized by Veronica’s genuine smile. He never would have thought she could be anymore gorgeous than she already was until he saw that smile.

“I...I’ll pay you whatever you want. Just...uh...name your price. I’m kind of desperate to find someone.” He said, unable to stop staring at Veronica’s mouth.

“I’d be happy to.” She replied, still smiling.

Veronica and Jughead discussed the details of her working as a babysitter for the Jones family before Jughead gave her the address to their doublewide trailer at Sunnyside Trailer Park.

Soon, Veronica would know where he lived, and he felt incredibly nervous over it. He didn’t want to feel that way but he couldn’t help it. She was a big city girl from a rich family. Being at his home would probably be embarrassing for her. But Jughead knew she was the kind of girl that he wouldn’t have to worry about influencing Jellybean in negative ways. Jellybean would be just as intimidated by Veronica as most people in Riverdale seemed to be. He knew she wouldn’t cross her. And she wanted to do it, and hadn’t even flinched when Jughead told her that his home was in a trailer park.

“Thank you, Jughead. I’ll be there this Tuesday at 3pm and not a minute late.”

 

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up between Jughead and Veronica, but the games are just beginning...

Veronica watched as Jellybean sat at the small dinner table in the Jones’s trailer, earbuds in her ears as she did her homework.

She was a sweet girl, and smart as a whip. She reminded Veronica so much of Jughead, from what she knew of Jughead anyway. And the two favored each other, both having dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Jellybean was only 12 but she was well on her way to becoming quite the beauty someday.

She hadn’t said much to Veronica when she’d arrived at the trailer right as Jellybean was getting off of the school bus, but she’d rolled her eyes when Veronica had told her about her older brother hiring her to babysit.

“He’s _so_ annoying.” She’d groaned.

Veronica couldn’t help but chuckle. She found Jughead annoying too, but in a much different way than his little sister.

It hadn’t taken very much convincing for Veronica to take the babysitting gig that Jughead had offered. Being in his home and with his sister gave her an insight into his life that she wouldn’t have had an opportunity for otherwise. Unless, of course, she asked him directly, but there was no way in hell she was about to do that. Jughead would probably just laugh in her face for even _trying_ to know anything personal about him.

He had kept his distance from her, even more so than he had before, ever since the party that he had left so unexpectedly. The distance was to the point where he’d rescinded his original offer to tutor her, which had injured Veronica more than she wanted to admit. But it hadn’t mattered in the long run as far as Veronica's grade in the class. She had managed to get caught up on her own, just as she had originally wanted to. And when their teacher announced that Veronica now had the highest grade in the class, she was delighted to see the look of pure horror on Jughead’s face at the news.

She didn’t know why he had been avoiding her so strategically until he’d asked her to babysit. It was a mystery. A mystery that sent a thrill throughout her whole body.

But Veronica had decided to throw herself into being distracted by Archie Andrews, hoping that by dating the popular football player it would help her to stop thinking about the brooding loner. So she and Archie had been dating, and he was sweet and kind to her. But he didn’t give her the thrill that she got from just looking at Jughead Jones. Archie didn’t light a fire within her that Jughead had lit from the first moment she spoke to him.

She had wanted to ask Betty every detail about what Jughead was like behind closed doors, but she dared not to. Her curiosity about the leather clad, motorcycle riding, gang member who had a little sister that he loved so much that he’d hired a babysitter for was getting the best of her, no matter how hard she tried to divert her attention from him.

“Thank you so much for your help with JB.” Gladys Jones said to Veronica once Jellybean and Jughead's beautiful mother arrived at home to find Jellybean finished with her homework and helping Veronica prepare spaghetti for the Jones’s dinner.

“Would you like to stay and eat with us? Jughead won’t be home for dinner but we can have some girl talk.”

As much as Veronica wanted to join Jellybean and Gladys for dinner, she declined. She didn’t feel as though Jughead liked her enough to be okay with her bonding with his mother and sister.

She said her goodbyes and headed home where her grandparents had a delicious home-cooked meal waiting for her, along with another letter.

But this one was from her father.

She tucked it away in her purse. She wasn’t ready to read his letter either. She needed more time. And she needed more nerve.

\-----

 

“She’s really nice. And really pretty.” Jellybean Jones said the next morning while she put on her shoes for school.

She had been telling Jughead all about Veronica and how much she liked her new babysitter.

“So…do you want her to keep babysitting you?” Jughead asked, immediately regretting how hopeful he sounded.

Jellybean nodded.

“But do you have to call it ‘babysitting’, Juggy? It makes me feel like a baby.”

Jughead chuckled.

“Okay, then…let’s call it 'kidsitting.'”

Jellybean gave her older brother a thumbs up.

“That’s better.”

Gladys Jones entered the living room where Jellybean and Jughead had been talking.

“She’s a lovely young lady, Jug. She helped us with dinner and she cleaned up in here. I wouldn’t have expected all of that from a Lodge.”

Jughead looked up at his mom.

“You know who the Lodge’s are?” He asked, surprised.

Gladys nodded.

“Yes. Hiram and Hermione were originally from Riverdale, but they got married and moved away right after high school. Hiram Lodge, Veronica’s dad, is in prison now, from what I’ve heard. And you know I get all the gossip at the salon. I didn’t say anything to Veronica about it, of course. Poor girl is having to work for the first time in her life. But she’s a natural!”

Jughead didn’t even know what to say. And he suddenly realized why Veronica was living in that small, brick house and why she was new to school. And why she tried so hard to keep up appearances and to look like she didn’t have a care in the world. So much of what he'd assumed about her was completely wrong.

Gladys must have noticed the look on Jughead’s face because she sent Jellybean to go wait in the car before giving her only a son a serious warning.

“Jug, regardless of what her life is like now, Veronica Lodge is still a Lodge. _Don’t_ get yourself into trouble.”

But Jughead only shook his head, chuckling.

“Don’t worry, mom. We’re not each other’s type.”

But Gladys Jones didn't look the least bit convinced.

\-----

 

Veronica’s newfound popularity hadn’t necessarily been what she had expected. To the point where she found herself shying away from it more than she had thought she would.

She liked the acceptance she had received from dating Archie, but it was all the attention she had received that she thought she could do without. So she hadn’t joined the Rivervixens, and instead she’d joined the chess club, the soccer team, and the very small book club that only consisted of her and two other people. But she was happy to be a part of things by her own choice and no one else’s.

It was weird doing things in school without having her mother or father’s feedback, but there was also something so freeing about it. She felt an independence she had never felt before and she realized how badly she had needed it.

Being the only child of her parent’s had put so much focus on her. Unnecessary focus. For once, she felt like she was the driver of her life. Sure, her grandparents were helpful but they had basically accepted anything Veronica did. Since she had come to live with them, she had done her best to show them a responsible young lady who worked two jobs, got straight A’s and dated a very nice, respectful young man. Her grandparents hadn’t a worry in the world when it came to their granddaughter and it made Veronica more proud of herself than she had ever been in her whole life.

Things weren’t perfect, but they were definitely looking up.

The only things that still scratched beneath the surface of her new life were those two letters from her parents that she hadn’t been able to read, and the handsome Jughead Jones.

She had felt such an overwhelming curiosity to see his room when she’d been at his house. But she knew what an invasion of privacy that would be so she hadn’t even asked Jellybean which bedroom door was his, but she’d had a good guess when she’d gone to use the bathroom and had seen a crown etched onto a door in the hallway as she’d passed by. A crown just like the beanie crown Jughead often wore.

But in the bathroom, she had found his bottle of cologne, spraying it just one time and breathing in the musky spice scent of Jughead. She had giggled to herself, feeling only slightly ridiculous for swooning over the mysterious Serpent.

Being in his home felt so strange, but also strangely comforting. She found herself really liking his mom and his sister. Jellybean was incredibly sweet once she’d warmed up to Veronica and had then won a game of chess against her. And Mrs. Jones had been so kind and sincere. Veronica had a feeling that Gladys knew exactly who Veronica was but she didn’t act like it bothered her in the least. It had been a relief.

Now if only she could get Jughead to come around too.

\-----

 

Jughead watched as Veronica sat with Ethel Muggs and Midge Klump at lunch. He never would have imagined that Veronica would be the type of girl that would hang out with the less than popular crowd, but she seemed to be enjoying whatever it was that the three of them were discussing as they sat with books open in front of them.

And there was something that had suddenly softened within him when it came to Veronica Lodge. He knew it had everything to do with how Veronica had charmed his mother and sister. And it didn’t hurt to know that he and Veronica had something in common. He never would have expected that both of their fathers were doing time in the slammer.

So when Jughead couldn't stop himself from approaching the three girls, his curiosity getting the best of him, he wasn’t entirely surprised.

"So...book club, ladies?" He asked with a smirk.

Ethel and Midge giggled, not used to being acknowledged by the rough and tumble Jughead Jones.

Veronica rolled her eyes at his mocking tone.

"Yes, actually." She replied as she gave Jughead a cutting glare.

Suddenly the bell rang, indicating that lunch was over. Ethel and Midge quickly got up and gathered their things as if they didn’t want to be one second late to their next class.

“Talk to you later, Ronnie!” Ethel said with a cheery grin as she waved goodbye, giggling with Midge as they left the cafeteria.

Veronica stood up and slung her purse over her shoulder as she gathered her things. The lunchroom had cleared out, leaving only her and Jughead.

"So what teen vampire romance is all the rage these days?" Jughead asked, with a teasing smirk.

Veronica shook her head.

 "I wouldn't know." She replied, her cheeks suddenly flushed.

Jughead chuckled.

"Oh, come on, Lodge. Don't be embarrassed." Jughead said as he snatched the book that still lay on the table.

The title of the book was called _Everyday Sexism_. Definitely not a vampire romance book. Jughead had been completely wrong about his assumption.

Veronica gave him a sardonic look.

"No more jokes, Jones?”

Jughead shrugged, trying to act unimpressed by Veronica’s literary choice. But truth was, he was very impressed. The girl had a brain and she’d proved it time and time again.

“Well…in case you are wondering, the book is by a British author. She makes a very persuasive argument about how inequality for women is a continuum in our society. That all men are basically pigs on a small to large scale. You should definitely read it. I'll even let you borrow my copy."

But Jughead shook his head as he tossed the book back onto the table.

“Seems a little too fluffy for my taste. Let me know when you start reading Marx or Orwell.” He replied with a mocking grin.

“Wow, could you _be_ more pretentious?” Veronica asked, rolling her eyes.

Jughead scowled at her.

“You think _I’m_ pretentious? Have you looked in the mirror lately? No girl in Riverdale wears high heels to school every day. Not even Cheryl Blossom.”

Veronica smirked.

“Oh? So you’ve noticed I wear heels every day, huh?”

Jughead winced. He had to think of something quick. He didn’t want Veronica to think he’d been paying as close attention as he had.

“It’s hard to miss the way you go clacking around the hallways all day. It’s the most annoying thing I’ve ever heard.” He scoffed.

But the smug look on Veronica’s face never faded.

“Why don’t you just admit it, Jughead Jones? You like my short skirts and heels. You like looking at me. You think I don’t see you staring at me all the time?”

Jughead swallowed hard. She _had_ noticed, no matter how discreet he’d tried to be.

“I…I’m seeing someone…why would I need to stare at _you_?” He mumbled.

He couldn’t think of anything more clever to say. Veronica had won this round.

“ _Seeing_ her? The plucky Betty Cooper? Oh, _sure_ you are, if that's what you want to call it. And yeah, she’s sweet as syrup. But she doesn’t turn you on the way I do, does she? Well, maybe I can give you something to think about when you’re in bed with your sweet girl.” Veronica said with a sly grin.

She pushed her book off of the table where it had been laying, and turned around to slowly pick it up, revealing a pair of black, lace panties under her short skirt.

Jughead immediately felt his body betray him as he watched her, so sexy and seductive. He wanted nothing more than to rip those panties off of her at that very moment.

“Be careful, Lodge.” He nearly growled as she turned back to face him, her book pushing against her breasts, making her cleavage even more evident.

“Careful?” She repeated with a laugh as she stepped closer to him, her lips right against his ear.

“Oh Jughead, I don’t know that word.” She murmured.

She stepped back and grinned deviously at him before turning to leave.

Jughead didn’t know what to do. He was speechless, and so turned on that it was all he could do to not go after her.

\-----

 

Veronica didn’t know what had gotten into her, only that she’d been tired of Jughead’s constant snark when it came to her, tired of how often she’d find him looking at her only to act like he could barely stand her. She was determined to call him out on what she’d decided was his obvious attraction towards her. Even if he hated her, he didn’t hate looking at her, and he wouldn’t hate fucking her if he had the chance.

She had known that there was the small possibility that she could be wrong about what was going on in his mind, but she was willing to take that risk. And there was that part of her that couldn't stand wondering what he was thinking when it came to her. She wanted some kind of indication, and she'd gotten it.

She couldn’t deny that she was actually surprised at his reaction. He looked at her as though he was ready to rip her clothes off right then and there. It had been the most satisfying feeling she’d ever felt in her whole entire life.

Jughead wanted her, and in some small way she felt like she had won. She knew he knew she had won this time. But the game was just beginning.

\-----

“Jughead your dad called again. He really wants to hear from you.” Jughead’s mom said to him the next morning as he scarfed down a bowl of cereal.

Jughead nodded, not responding. The last thing he wanted to do that morning was get into a conversation about his dad.

“Honey…he doesn’t just want to hear from you, he _needs_ to hear from you. He needs it for his sanity.”

Jughead sighed.

“I’ll call him soon, mom. I will. I just…I need to get some things taken care of with the Serpents first. I want to make sure he knows that everything is in good hands.”

Gladys Jones sat down at the table across from Jughead.

“I know you resent him for leaving you in the position of being in charge of things. Not just with the Serpents, but with us. But he’s still your father, and you are still his son. No matter what. _Talk_ to him, Juggy.”

Jughead got up from the table and grabbed his bag.

“Let’s go, JB!” He snapped as he grabbed Jellybean’s helmet off the kitchen counter and tossed it to his little sister.

Talking about his father was the best way to tick him off first thing in the morning. He slammed the front door behind him and his sister before climbing onto his bike.

“Jug, calm down. She was just trying to help dad.”

Jughead sighed and glanced back at jellybean.

“I know…I just…I need time.”

Jellybean nodded, understanding.

“We all do, but sometimes we also have to do things we’re not ready for.”

Jughead smiled, shaking his head as she started up his motorcycle. Jellybean was too smart for her own good sometimes. A wise sage at only 12. He thanked God that he had her in his life. Sometimes she was his only source of comfort.

\-----

 

Veronica sat with her legs crossed, wearing the shortest skirt she owned and could get away with wearing at school. She’d already been making heads turn all morning, but there was only one person she hoped would notice.

As Jughead walked into their history class, he glared at Veronica Lodge. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself, because even though he looked absolutely beyond pissed off, he was still acknowledging her.

Once Jughead was sitting down behind her, saying nothing to her, she leaned forward out of her seat to tap on Dilton’s shoulder.

“Can I borrow a pencil, Dillikins?” She asked innocently, knowing her short skirt was revealing her lacy thong to Jughead and Jughead only.

Veronica sat back down after receiving the borrowed pencil and pretended to be busy innocently taking notes.

Suddenly she felt Jughead’s breath on the back of her neck.

“So Archie is okay with you walking around in skirts like that, showing your red panties to the world?” He seethed.

Veronica smiled to herself as she turned her head.

“Yeah, he seems to like my skirts. Guess you both have that in common. But only one of you knows what _color_ my panties are.”

She heard Jughead say a few expletives, and it delighted her to no end. This was getting more and more fun by the minute.

That was until Veronica was walking to her locker after study hall and stopped abruptly in her tracks when she saw Jughead standing right by it, talking to Betty so close that Betty had her hand on Jughead’s chest, smiling amorously at him. Jughead looked over at Veronica and smirked. She did her best to hide the raging jealously she suddenly felt as Jughead moved Betty away from the lockers and walked down the hall with his hand on her bottom as Betty moved closer to him.

Jughead had just taken their little game to a whole new level.

She smiled as she whispered to herself.

“Two can play at that.”

\-----

 

Jughead rested his head on the cool metal of his locker door after the final school bell rang. He was torn between completely regretting giving Veronica shit about her book club and not regretting it at all. Because ever since she’d come back at him with her sexual prowess, the tension between them was no longer a secret they were keeping from each other. She knew he wanted her and he knew she wanted him. But they were both too prideful to give into each other. It was ridiculous, and it was making him crazy.

He’d had an almost constant erection ever since she’d flashed her panties at him twice in less than 24 hours, and he’d greatly enjoyed the look of pure resentment on her face when she’d seen him flirting shamelessly with Betty. But he’d felt like a jerk for using Betty as a pawn in his game with Veronica. But he had to get back at her somehow and he’d known that Betty had been just the thing to do it.

“Hey Jug, you okay?”

Jughead turned around to see Archie coming down the hallway, his ever present smile spread across his face.

Jughead nodded.

“I’m fine, Arch. What’s up?”

Archie fished around in his pocket and pulled out the keys to his pickup truck.

“I actually need a huge favor from you. Ronnie’s car is having some kind of issue and she needs a ride to work. I have football practice so I can’t take her. Do you think you could give her a ride? You can even take my truck. Just as long as you bring it back in one piece.” He said with a wink.

Jughead’s eyes widened. He had been completely caught off guard by Archie’s request for a favor, especially one involving Veronica. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with her again, and yet, the thought of it caused his heart to beat uncontrollably. He didn’t know what to say.

“Uh…yeah…I…” Jughead was going to try and make an excuse as to why he couldn’t give Veronica a ride but before he could come up with something, Archie had slapped the keys into the palm of Jughead’s hand.

“Thanks, man! I owe you.”

And with that, Archie took off down the hall to the locker room.

\-----

Veronica stood by Archie’s truck, waiting for him to give her a ride to work. She hated having to ask him for any favors but with her car in the shop, she had no other choice. As much as she liked Archie, she felt guilty for dating him knowing that he liked her a lot more than she liked him. She had thought he would have gotten bored of her by now, seeing as how the rumors had been that Archie didn’t date anyone for very long, but there had been no indication from Archie that he had any plans on dumping her anytime soon. And Veronica wasn’t sure if she was okay with that or not.

There was a protection in dating Archie, and it had nothing to do with wanting notoriety or friends at school, but it had everything to do with Jughead Jones.

Dating Archie was like being able to hide behind a curtain, a curtain that kept her from going after Jughead completely, without any game playing or holding back. She couldn’t help but think she’d made a mistake by letting him know she wanted him because he hadn’t taken the bait completely, as she had hoped. He was toying with her just as much as she was toying with him. It was exciting and frustrating all at once.

And then, almost as if she’d somehow subconsciously summoned him, she saw Jughead walking through the parking lot towards her. She felt her body weaken at the sight of him. He scowled at her as he approached her wearing his Serpent jacket, his beanie tucked in his back jeans pocket. As angry as he tried to look, she knew it was all an act. Jughead was a hell of a lot more tender than he would ever let anyone see, but she could see it. She had seen it when he’d talked about his sister, she’d seen it when he was around Betty, and she’d even seen it the day he offered to tutor her.

“Archie asked me to drive you to Pop’s.” He explained once he’d unlocked the truck.

“I bet you jumped at the chance.” Veronica said with a smirk as she climbed into the passenger side.

She made sure she sat with her skirt hiked up as far as it would go without looking too obvious.

“You know I didn't, but he didn’t really give me a chance to say no.” Jughead replied as he shifted the truck into drive and left the school parking lot.

Veronica watched him as his eyes drifted over to her almost completely bare thighs. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“Well, I appreciate it, Jug. I couldn’t get a driver in time to take me, so…” Her voice trailed off.

She hated the way it felt to tell such a dumb lie to someone like Jughead. To everyone else, it was easy to make them think she still lived the high life, but with Jughead, it just felt wrong. Almost as if she knew he wouldn’t really believe her anyway. And even if he didn’t believe her, a part of her knew he wouldn’t care anyway. Things like money and status didn’t seem to matter to Jughead. And she liked that about him. If only she could make herself drop the act when she was around him. It would feel so nice to be honest with at least _one_ person in Riverdale.

“Thought I should let you know that Jellybean approves of you as her babysitter. Though she is now insisting that we call it ‘kidsitting.’” Jughead said with a smile, breaking the silence in the truck.

The sudden change in his demeanor was a welcome one and Veronica knew it had everything to do with his love for his little sister.

Veronica smiled.

“She’s really great, Jug. So smart and funny. I’m honestly relieved that she likes me enough to let me keep _kidsitting_ her.”

Jughead chuckled.

“You made a very good impression on her...and my mom.”

Veronica's heart fluttered in her chest. There was something that made her feel a little victory at that news. But she wanted the main prize.

“How about you? Have I made a good impression on you at all?” She asked him, curiously.

Jughead glanced at her, letting his eyes travel from hers all the way down her body.

“You have. Yes.” He said as he adjusted the front of his jeans.

Veronica couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. She knew just what kind of impression she had made on Jughead and she couldn’t help but revel in it just a bit.

“Well, thanks for the ride.” Veronica said as Jughead pulled into the parking lot of Pop’s.

“Want to come in for a burger? On me?”

But Jughead shook his head no.

“As much as I hate to turn down free food, I have to get the truck back to Archie and then I have…uh…Serpent business.” He said, obviously uncomfortable with mentioning his gang.

“Southside Serpents…yeah…Archie told me a little about it. Seems really cool.” Veronica said as she gathered her things.

She could tell by Jughead’s reaction that he hadn’t expected her to say that.

“Anyway, thank you again for driving me to work.” She said as she leaned over and gave Jughead a soft kiss on his cheek, resting her hand on his thigh.

“I’d love for you to give me a ride again sometime.” She whispered in his ear before pulling away.

Jughead didn’t say a word, just watched her with a ravenous expression on his face as she got out of the truck and shut the passenger door, winking at him before bounding through the doors of the diner, smiling to herself the whole time.

 

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game takes a turn into more dangerous territory as Jughead and Veronica start to admit to themselves how they really feel. But will they ever tell each other?

“But how can you talk about women’s rights and then dress the way you do every day? You’re a walking contradiction!” Reggie Mantle was saying as they sat in their history class discussing the women’s movement in the 20th century.

“Being a feminist doesn’t mean that I can’t do with my body what I want. Whatever society deems appropriate dress for a woman is not a woman’s personal choice, it’s the choice that our _culture_ has made for her. A culture of _men_ , might I add.” Veronica retorted.

Jughead couldn’t help but secretly cheer for Veronica’s response to the musclebound meathead. She was completely right.

“If I want to wear high heels and a sexy dress, it’s my right as a woman, a feminist woman, to do that. I’m the one who owns my body and I will dress in the way that makes me feel good about who I am. This is for me.” She added as she motioned towards her current outfit, which consisted of a snug-fitting, purple sweater dress with high black heels.

“For you? Really?” Reggie asked, not completely convinced.

But Veronica got a sly grin on her face.

“And maybe a little for certain guys whose eye I might want to catch.” She said as she glanced over at Jughead.

But he looked away, trying not to smile.

The class let out a collective laugh at her last statement, except for Reggie, who was rolling his eyes.

“The point is, Reggikins, is that the women’s movement was about women finally taking the initiative to put an end to societal norms of what a woman should do with her life. It was about being recognized equally in terms of our rights as human beings and as the majority of our population as a whole. It sure as hell doesn’t mean I have to wear certain clothing to be taken seriously. My _mind_ is what should serve as my worth, not my body.”

Again, the class whooped and hollered at Veronica’s incredibly on point argument.

Jughead’s heart thundered in his chest as she looked at him again, vying for his approval. He finally allowed himself to smile at her, something he rarely did, but she’d earned it.

But when the bell rang, he hightailed it out of class, not wanting any opportunity for her to turn him on any more than she already had. The kiss she’d given him on the cheek the night before when he’d dropped her off a Pop’s had stayed with him. It was as if the feeling of her soft lips on him was always with him now, he could feel her constantly. His body ached for her and he had no idea how much longer he could hold off until he had her for himself.

“Hey stranger.” Jughead looked behind him to see Betty Cooper.

He realized he hadn’t talked to her in a while and he felt terrible for it.

“Hey Betts. How are you?” He asked as he slowed his walk until she’d caught up.

“I’m good…just been busy with…you know…everything.” She replied with a chuckle.

Jughead nodded.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Betty sighed.

“I guess you do since you seem really preoccupied lately. Is everything okay?” She asked him, the concern in her eyes sincere.

Jughead closed his eyes, his mind flashing to that image of Veronica sitting in Archie’s truck, her skirt so short he had to constantly stop himself from reaching out to touch her skin, had to constantly readjust the growing erection in his jeans. He needed a release in the worst way.

“Yeah…uh…everything is fine…um...Betty, do you want to go somewhere for lunch? Like…um…”

Betty smiled deviously.

“The abandoned stairwell?” She asked.

Jughead breathed out a sigh of relief. Betty knew exactly what he wanted.

“Yeah.” He replied as he smiled at her.

Betty nodded as she took his hand in hers and led him away from the busy hallways and to the stairwell where everyone went when they needed some privacy.

Jughead felt like the biggest jerk in the world, but he couldn’t stop himself. And he felt even worse when he thought about Veronica while he thrust himself into Betty from behind as she braced herself against the wall of the stairwell. But he needed this or he was going to lose his mind, and he wouldn’t be doing it if Betty hadn’t been such a willing participant.

But this had to stop, this casual thing with Betty. He knew it was wrong to keep doing this. He wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt that way when he hadn’t felt that way for the past few months, but something was changing in him. There had been a shift. And he knew it had everything to do with Veronica Lodge.

\-----

 

“I win again!” Jellybean Jones cheered as she lay out her cards, showing Veronica that she had a full house to Veronica’s two pair.

“Your poker skills are frighteningly good.” Veronica said with a chuckle as she shuffled the deck to start a new game.

“We should go to Vegas!” Jellybean replied, excitedly.

“Have you ever been there?”

Veronica nodded.

“I have. It’s a wild place, but there’s lot to do.”

Jellybean listened intently as Veronica told her about all the places she’d visited and the amazing things she’d seen.

“Wow, V! You should write a book or something. I’ve never even been on a _plane_ before.”

Unfortunately, Veronica wasn’t surprised to hear that from Jellybean. She could tell that the Jones family had always been a working family and that disposable income wasn’t a familiar part of their lives. And Veronica was trying her best to fight her curiosity when it came to asking Jellybean about where their father was, but she had been dying to know. There were a few pictures around the Jones home but most of them were of Jughead and Jellybean.

She decided to bite down her need for answers, not wanting Jellybean to feel any discomfort when she was around. Veronica wanted to be a safe place for Jughead’s little sister and nothing more.

“Let’s watch a movie!” Jellybean suddenly suggested, ditching the playing cards as she went over to a shelf where a small collection of DVD’s were lined up neatly.

“Sounds like a great idea to me, JB. You pick one out and I’ll get us some popcorn.”

Veronica smiled to herself as she got out the box of microwave popcorn and carefully read the instructions on how to make it. She realized she’d never done something so simple as popping popcorn before, something most people had done in their lives many times. In a weird way, it felt liberating.

She tried not to nose around in Jughead’s kitchen too much, but when she found several to-go containers of Pop’s in the fridge, she knew they were Jughead’s takeout orders.

She sighed, thinking about him as she watched the bag of popcorn turn around and around inside the microwave. She had seen him with Betty earlier that day and had watched as the two had disappeared into the abandoned stairwell. Her heart had fallen straight down to her stomach knowing exactly what they’d gone in there to do. This time, it wasn’t a part of Veronica and Jughead’s game. He wanted sex, and he wanted it with Betty.

Veronica wanted sex too, had been holding out for it in case Jughead made a move. She hadn’t even been with Archie in that way, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. Veronica had slept with guys before, but once she’d moved to Riverdale, she had made the decision to not sleep around anymore. That she would save sex for someone important.

Jughead was becoming important.

“Come on, Veronica! It’s starting!”

Veronica smiled as she took the hot popcorn bag out of the microwave and poured it into the bowl before joining Jellybean on the couch.

“What did you pick for us?” She asked as she munch on a handful of the buttery snack.

“Casablanca. Mine and Juggy’s favorite.”

Veronica shook her head, smiling.

“Of course.”

\-----

 

The next night, Jughead sat on his motorcycle outside of Pop’s as Veronica walked towards him in her skimpy waitress uniform.

He had come by to pay her for her first week of babysitting Jellybean. His little sister had been going on and on about how awesome Veronica was, how much she liked her, admired her. Jughead wasn’t sure if he was pleased or annoyed. The more Jellybean liked Veronica, the more Jughead found himself liking her too, and he didn’t want to like her.

“Pop actually asked you to wear _that_?” Jughead asked as he looked her up and down in her tight, cleavage bearing t-shirt and short shorts before handing her the envelope of money.

Veronica shook her head no.

“No. But I took the liberty to update the uniform to something a little more…friendly.” She replied with a pleased grin on her face as she slipped the envelope into her purse.

“Do you like it?” She asked as she twirled around for Jughead.

Jughead scoffed, trying to act like he didn’t give a rat’s ass about the uniform, or how incredibly sexy Veronica looked in it.

“It’s fine…I guess.” Jughead answered with a shrug.

Veronica stepped towards him and gave him a seductive smile.

“You guess? Then how come you look like you want nothing more than to see this uniform lying on your bedroom floor?”

Jughead rolled his eyes, but inside, his heart was thumping furiously. He couldn’t figure out how she was always able to see right through him. But he was enjoying their game, as much as he hated to admit it.

“Do you really want me to call your bluff, Lodge? Because I will. I will dare you to climb onto the back of my motorcycle right now, wrap those pretty little arms around my waist, and let me take you home. We’ll go to your room, and everyone will be asleep while I do to you what I know you’ve been dreaming about me doing to you for weeks now.”

He wanted to shock her, talk to her in a way she wasn’t expecting. But as she smirked at him, he remembered who he was playing this game with.

“I have no bluff to call, Jughead Jones. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just some horny jerk who thinks I get off on guys that ride motorcycles, who is easily tempted by some lame come on, and who wants to fuck you just because you’re the hottest guy at Riverdale High School. But you’re dead wrong. I’m _not_ that easy. So…have a nice night.”

She turned around and sauntered over to her little, red Mustang. She waved before getting in and speeding off into the night, leaving Jughead fuming, but he was also harder than a rock. His frustration quickly turned to satisfaction. She had made a mistake in her apparent rejection of him. She’d told him that he was the hottest guy at school.

He knew then that this game wasn’t just about who could make the other one break down and beg. Veronica wanted him just as badly as he wanted her, no question about it. And he would make sure they both got what they wanted, sooner than later.

\-----

 

Veronica had screwed up, she was fully aware. She’d told Jughead he was the hottest guy in school. And he was, at least, to her. And now he knew she was attracted to him, that teasing him wasn’t just a game anymore.

She had kicked herself for it, but at the same time she had been glad he knew. Now maybe something would finally happen between them. She had given up on trying to not fantasize about him and was fully involved in thinking about him every single night as she lay in her bed.

“Veronica? You okay?”

Veronica looked up to find that her grandpa and grandma had been watching her as she moved the food around on her dinner plate.

“Uh…yeah…I’m fine. Why?”

Veronica’s grandma smiled warmly.

“Because you’ve barely eaten anything. Are you and Archie okay?”

Veronica nodded.

“Oh yes, we’re fine. I’ve just…can I be honest?” She asked, uneasily.

“Absolutely, sweetheart. You can talk to us about anything.” Veronica’s grandpa replied before taking a bite of his mashed potatoes.

Veronica sighed.

“I just…there’s another boy I kind of like. Not Archie. But…I’m not sure if he likes me…and I…I feel bad dating Archie when there’s this other guy…”

Veronica’s grandparents nodded, as if they completely understood.

“Don’t be with someone just for the sake of being with someone, honey. Even if this other boy doesn’t like you back, that doesn’t mean you have to date Archie.”

Veronica nodded, smiling.

She had been feeling tremendous guilty knowing how much Archie liked her but that she couldn’t stop thinking about his best friend. As much as she liked the acceptance and new friends she had made, she was willing to give it up.

She didn’t want to be how she used to be back in Newy York, a user and a liar. And a heart breaker. She knew she’d have to break up with Archie, sooner than later, no matter what Jughead may or may not feel when it came to her.

“Thank you, guys. That helps me a lot.” She said with a genuine smile as she finally took a bite of her dinner.

“Veronica, sweetie, have you read the letters from your parents yet?” Her grandmother asked, curiously.

Veronica looked back down at her plate.

“I haven’t yet. I just…I think I just need more time.”

Veronica had been tempted so many times to open the two letters. She had taken them out of her bedside table drawer at least once a day, but all she could do was stare at the envelopes. Sometimes she cried, sometimes she got mad and threw a something across the room in her frustration. All she knew for sure was that she still couldn’t yet handle reading whatever it was that her parents had to say to her.

She found herself wondering if she would ever be strong enough.

Veronica’s grandmother nodded.

“Take your time. It’s okay.” She said as she reached out and took Veronica’s hand in hers.

Veronica felt beyond grateful to have such amazing support from her mother’s parents. They had taken her in, not pressured her about anything, they respected her and cared for her and she couldn’t be more grateful. But they didn’t replace what she was missing in her life. She wasn’t sure anyone could.

\-----

“What’s going on, man?” Jughead asked a solemn looking Archie as he sat down next to his redheaded friend in study hall.

He hadn’t seen Archie look so down since his parents divorced a couple of years earlier. One thing Jughead could almost always count on when it came to Archie Andrews was a bright smile and upbeat attitude, no matter what was going on.

“Hey, Jug…um…it’s nothing.” Archie replied as he opened up his Biology book and ran a hand over his face with sigh, as if concentrating on reading about ribosomes was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Come on, Arch. I know we don’t get to talk much these days but I’m still here if you need to vent about something." Jughead replied, sincerely.

Archie was one of the few people that knew the real Jughead, and one of the few people that Jughead could trust to be vulnerable to when he needed to be. As gruff and distant as Jughead tended to be when it came to most people, Archie was one of the few that he could be real with.

“It’s…it’s Veronica. She…um…she broke things off with me last night. She said that…uh…she’s just got too much going on in her life right now…she doesn’t have time for…for a relationship.”

Jughead couldn’t hide the total disbelief on his face at what Archie had just told him. He had thought Veronica really liked Archie, at least that was the impression that she’d given. But when Jughead thought about the way she flirted with him, how she’d tried to entice him, how she was attracted to him, he knew she wouldn’t have been doing all of that with him if she was happy with Archie.

“Dude…I’m sorry. I had no idea things weren’t going well with you guys.” Jughead lied. He wasn't about to tell Archie the truth when he was so obviously crushed by Veronica's ending of their relationship.

Archie shrugged.

“I didn’t either. I thought we were fine. I mean, we hadn’t even had sex yet. I was trying to be really patient, thoughtful. I guess…I guess it just wasn’t enough.”

Jughead didn’t even know what to say, but knowing that Archie and Veronica hadn’t even made love to each other gave him a relief he hadn’t expected.

“The thing is, Jug…it was different with her. I really liked her, a lot. I think…I think I might have even been falling in love with Veronica. She’s…she’s an amazing girl.”

Jughead hated seeing his friend so torn up. He’d never seen Archie upset over a girl before. Ever. It was strange, and Jughead suddenly felt a tremendous guilt knowing that he’d been secretly hoping that they would break up. That he could take his own shot with Veronica Lodge.

“I know it sucks, Arch…but…maybe it’s just better that you’re not with someone who doesn’t feel the way you do.”

Archie nodded.

“It is. I mean, I’m glad she was honest with me. I really am. But…this is tough.”

Jughead wanted to be angry with Veronica for hurting his friend, but he was having a hard time conjuring up the wrath that he knew he would normally feel for anyone that hurt someone he loved.

It was beyond frustrating, because now Veronica was fair game and Jughead was even more inclined to finally make his move.

 

\-----

“Ugh, this Christmas dance bullshit is making me lose my mind.” Betty Cooper said with a huff as she made paper chain after paper chain for the dance that would be coming up soon.

Veronica wasn’t sure how she’d gotten herself roped into being on the committee for the dance, but there she was, sitting on the gymnasium floor with Betty, Cheryl, Josie, and Valerie making decorations. Veronica’s job was cutting out paper snowflakes, which she somehow had gotten the hang of pretty quickly.

“You seem particularly more stressed out than usual, Betty.” Josie surmised as she strung pieces of popcorn with a thread and needle, and popping a piece in her mouth every so often.

“Did you get your acceptance letter from Yale yet?” Veronica asked, wondering if it was Betty’s ambition to get into an Ivy League school that was ailing her.

Betty nodded.

“I did. I’m in. But…it’s just…” Her voice trailed off.

“Is that hobo, Jughead, being an asshole? Like, more so than he typically is?” Cheryl asked with a scowl as she scrolled through her phone, not doing her job of making the confetti.

Betty chuckled.

“He’s not an asshole, Cheryl. We aren’t a _couple_ , I can’t expect anything from him.” Betty replied, shaking her head as if Cheryl couldn’t be more wrong about the handsome loner.

“You can expect him to not treat you like you only matter when he wants to get off.” Cheryl shot back as she finally put down her phone.

Veronica couldn’t help but be impressed with how fiercely protective Cheryl was when it came to Betty. And Veronica found herself wishing she had a friend like that in her life.

“Can’t really blame her, C. I mean, the boy is fine.” Josie said with a chuckle.

Veronica tried to act as uninterested in the conversation about Jughead as she possibly could, not wanting anyone to know how much she’d been wanting him for herself and how envious she was of Betty for getting to know what it was like to be with him.

“Fine or not. Good in bed or not. You’re better than that shit, B.” Valerie chimed in.

All the girls collectively agreed, but Veronica still stayed silent.

“Veronica, what do you think? Should I end this thing with Jug?”

Veronica’s eyes widened at how she’d been suddenly put on the spot. She wasn’t sure what she should say. She could never let on to anyone that she wanted Jughead for herself. She didn’t want to ever get on Betty or Cheryl’s bad sides. She was still too new and she wanted to keep the friendships she was beginning to have.

“Um…uh…well, if it’s something that is just sex and only sex, and there are no feelings involved then it’s not really hurting anyone. But…Betty…if you have feelings for Jughead and you want more, you should talk to him about it. And if he can’t give you what you want…then, yeah…you should just be friends. _Only_ friends.”

All of the girls stared at Veronica. She wondered if she had said something completely wrong.

“Well, I guess Miss Park Ave here knows a thing or two about getting screwed over. Used as a fuck toy much, Lodge?” Cheryl asked as she glared at Veronica.

But Veronica ignored her. She knew Cheryl hadn’t warmed up to her for a reason. She wasn’t exactly sure what that reason was, though Archie had told her that Cheryl had always considered herself to be the queen bee around school and that she might view Veronica as some sort of competition. Whatever the reason was, Veronica wasn’t going to feel obligated to tell Cheryl anything about her past when it came to guys and sex.

Betty smiled as she nodded thoughtfully.

“That’s amazing advice, V. Thank you.”

 

\-----

Veronica smiled as she and Jellybean stood side by side in the Jones’s kitchen cutting up vegetables for the stew Veronica was making for dinner. She had found the recipe in her grandmother’s recipe box and decided to try her hand at making it for Jellybean, Gladys and Jughead.

Cooking was not something Veronica had ever done much of in her life. The only thing she’d ever really known how to make was spaghetti, toast, and instant pudding. She had grown up with personal chefs her whole life and had never really had any reason to learn how make much. But living with her grandparents, babysitting for Jellybean, and working at Pop’s was giving her exposure and more of a reason to want to learn.

“Wow, it smells great in here.”

Veronica looked up to see Jughead walking through the kitchen door. Her heart nearly stopped at how unexpected it was to see him.

“Juggy! You’re home early!” Jellybean cheered as she ran over to give her big brother a hug.

“Yeah, apparently there’s a snow storm coming. We went ahead and closed down the shop.” He said as he eyed Veronica while she scooped the chopped vegetables off of the counter and added them to the pot.

“You cook? A few weeks ago you could barely scoop ice cream into a bowl.”

Veronica glared at him.

“Well, everything is ready. Just give the stew about 45 more minutes. Okay, Bean?” She said as she grabbed her purse.

Since Jughead was home now, there was no reason for her to stay.

“You’re not going to eat dinner with us?” Jellybean asked, disappointed.

Veronica hated to let down the young girl, but there was no way she could sit through a meal with Jughead without feeling like he might not want her there. Especially after she had broken up with his best friend.

“If there’s a snowstorm coming then I better get home. But I’ll see you next week.” She said as she gave Jellybean a quick hug.

“See you at school, Jug.”

But before she could get out of the front door of the trailer, Jughead stopped her.

“Veronica…”

She turned to look at him, surprised to hear him actually say her name. She hadn’t ever heard him say it before.

“Um…so, Archie told me you broke up with him.”

Veronica swallowed hard before responding. All she needed was another reason for Jughead to hate her.

“Yeah…I just felt like I needed to end it. I hated to hurt him…but…I thought I should be honest.”

Jughead nodded.

“Were you honest though? He said your reason was your busy schedule. Was that really why, Veronica?”

Veronica wasn’t sure exactly it was that Jughead wanted her to say. She knew that the real truth was that she didn’t feel for Archie what she felt for Jughead, but she wasn’t ready for Jughead to know that.

“Of course that was really why. I had to cut some things from my life. It wasn’t easy for me, Jughead. But if it makes you feel any better, I quit the soccer team too.” Veronica replied.

She _had_ quit the soccer team, but mostly because she really wasn’t any good at the sport. She wasn’t coordinated enough, and she was pretty sure she’d only made the team because Archie had put in a word for her with the coach.

Jughead stared at her for a long moment, as if he was trying to read just how honest she was actually being.

“What?” She finally asked him, wanting nothing more than to just go home and get away from Jughead’s intensely sexy gaze.

“One of us is going to have to fess up eventually, Princess.” He said as he stepped closer to her, forcing her to look up into his piercing blue eyes.

“To what and to whom are you referring, Jones?”

But Jughead chuckled softly.

“You’re a smart girl and you know _exactly_ what I’m talking about.” He said suggestively as he played with one of the strings of her sparkly hooded sweater.

Veronica’s heart thumped hard in her chest. She wasn’t used to being on the other side of the seduction game. Jughead was catching up to her, and quickly.

“You don’t have to leave.” He said, his voice low as he leaned in and brushed his lips against her ear.

Just then, a car pulled into the driveway of the Jones’s home. It was Gladys, also getting home early from work.

“Hey kids! Guess everyone is leaving work early for the storm, huh?” She asked as she retrieved a couple of grocery bags from the trunk of her old station wagon.

“Are you going to stick around for dinner, Veronica?” She asked, eyeing how close together her son and Veronica were standing.

Veronica felt her cheeks suddenly getting warmer. She had never been so caught off guard by Jughead before.

“Um…no, ma’am. I better get home.”

She didn’t look back at Jughead as she bounded down the trailer steps towards her car.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Jones.” She said cheerily, trying her best to not look at flustered as she felt.

“Be safe.” Mrs. Jones replied softly, almost as if it had nothing to do with the snowstorm coming their way but the storm that was brewing inside of Veronica.

Veronica sighed.

“I’ll do my best.”

 

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they just can't take it anymore and it's time to just give in...

_"What_ mom _?"_

Gladys Jones rolled her eyes at her oldest child as she made her way into the trailer.

“You know what, Jughead. I told you to be careful. And look at you, making eyes at Veronica Lodge like you want to make a meal out of her.”

Jughead blushed, something he rarely ever did, but the fact that his mom had noticed what had been going on between him and Veronica was beyond embarrassing.

“I’m not making eyes at her!” Jughead retorted as he helped his mom carry in the groceries. He suddenly realized how childish he'd just sounded and cursed himself for it.

Jellybean suddenly burst into giggles.

“You should have seen the look on his face when he saw Veronica making us dinner. He’s in _loooooooove_.”

Jughead shot a glare at his little sister.

“Jughead Jones is a lone wolf. He loves _no_ woman…except for his mom and sister.” Gladys said jokingly as she put away the boxes of macaroni and cheese she’d just bought.

Jughead threw his hands in the air.

“What is this? Why are you two fucking with me?” He asked, exasperated.

“Language!” Gladys snapped at her son.

“But it _would_ do you good to call your dad, finally, and ask him about Hiram Lodge. He can give you an earful about that family.”

Jughead sighed. He knew plenty about the Lodge family. He’d been doing his research through the other Serpents. Hiram had hired the Serpents several times throughout the years to do jobs for him. Less than legal types of jobs.

“I thought you liked Veronica.” Jellybean said with a pout.

Gladys smiled at her daughter.

“I do, honey. She’s a lovely girl. But if your brother has plans on making her his girlfriend, then he needs to get all of the facts. Call your father, Jughead. I’m serious.”

Jughead shook his head.

“I don’t have plans to date Veronica Lodge. I’m not calling dad until I decide I _want_ to call him. And I don’t need either of your opinions about my love life!” He shouted as he left the kitchen and headed to his bedroom where he slammed the door behind him.

He hated to get mad at his mom and Jellybean, but their assumption that there was any possibility of Veronica being his girlfriend was absolutely ridiculous. No matter how much he knew Veronica wanted him physically, he couldn’t imagine she would ever want anything more than that. He wasn’t her type. And it didn't matter that they both had father's in prison. He would never fit into her world regardless. He knew she could never want him in that way. And it’s why he knew he had to keep his heart in check. He could never let himself want more.

\-----

 

“Jughead didn’t want to come, but I told him it’s our last Christmas party at Riverdale High! We had to come!” Betty said as Jughead stood behind her, a beer in his hand, which was the only way he’d be able to endure the party he had promised to go to for Betty’s sake.

Though, he hadn’t forgotten how disappointing the last party he attended had been.

But he owed it to Betty. They’d had a long talk earlier that day when they’d met up at the Cooper house to exchange Christmas gifts. She had given him a beautiful leather portfolio embossed with his initials for his writings and scribblings, while he had given her a pink, cashmere sweater with a little gold crown pin on the collar.

And he’d watched in horror as her eyes began to tear up at the gift he had spent hours agonizing over. He’d wanted to get her something that showed her how special he thought she was, even if he couldn’t find it within him to love her the way she deserved.

“Why are you crying, Betts?” He’d asked as he put an arm around her shoulder.

Betty wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

“I just…I need to tell you something, Jug.”

When she looked up at him she clearly saw the fear in his eyes over not knowing what she was about to say.

“Don’t worry, I’m not pregnant or anything like that.”

Jughead let out a long exhale of relief.

“Holy shit, Betty. You scared the _hell_ out of me.”

Betty chuckled as she nudged him in the ribs.

“Serves you right.”

Jughead shook his head, smiling. But his heart still thumped from the scare. 

“No…I just think it’s time we…that we end this ‘friends with benefits’ thing.” She said as she looked him in the eyes, waiting for his reaction.

Jughead sighed.

“Yeah…I think you’re right.”

Her eyes widened with surprise. He knew she had expected him to put up a fight over it, but he hadn’t. He couldn’t. He knew it was time to end it too, she had just beat him to it.

“You do?”

Jughead nodded.

“I do. I mean…I know how you feel about me, Betty. And…I wish I could feel the same. I really do. And I’ve tried. But I love your friendship more than anything and I don’t want to do anything that complicates that, or hurts you. You deserve to have everything you want. You can’t find what that is if you’re still somehow tethered to me.”

Betty’s eyes filled with tears again.

“You’re sweet, Juggy. I figured you would probably say something wonderful like that. Even though…I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t a part of me that hoped by some small chance that you felt the way that I do. But deep down…I knew you didn’t. Guess it’s just hard to know the truth, without a doubt.”

Jughead groaned as he dramatically fell back onto Betty’s soft bed.

“You’re killing me, Betts.” He said as he grabbed his chest.

Betty let out a laugh.

“I’m _sorry_! I’m not trying to. I guess…Jug…I just wonder how you can call me your friend and sleep with me but not feel anything more for me.”

Jughead took off his beanie and ran a hand through his dark locks.

“I can’t explain it, Betty. The sex is great, the friendship is even greater, but there’s just something _missing_. I think it's just me. Just something about _me_ that's the problem. I…I’m sorry. I wish I could give you a better explanation.”

Betty shrugged.

“It’s okay, Jug. I understand. Sometimes you just can’t help how you feel. It’s just one of those crazy things about being a human.”

Jughead sat up and smiled warmly at her. She was one of the few people he could be real with, and he prayed she would get over him soon, so things could go back to how they’d once been.

“Do you want me to split now? Keep my distance?” He asked, understanding if she didn’t want to see him or be around him for a while.

But Betty shook her head no.

“All will be forgiven if you go with me to the party after the Christmas dance. I assume you’re not going to the Christmas dance, once again?”

Jughead scoffed.

“Of course I’m not! I told Archie we’d go to the Bijou. He’s nursing a broken heart and isn’t going to the dance either.”

Betty nodded.

“Yeah, I heard Veronica broke up with him. Sad too, they were cute together. But I’ll tell you what, she’s really amazing. She gave me some pretty sage advice. And she made the most beautiful snowflakes for the dance.”

Jughead could feel his heartbeat speed up at the mention of the black haired beauty.

“Is she going to the dance…you know…since Archie isn’t going?” He asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant but wanting desperately to know about Veronica's plans.

Betty shook her head.

“She has to work. But she said she’d probably be able to make it to the after party.”

Jughead did his best to hide the grin playing at his lips.

“Well, I guess I’ll meet you at the party.” He'd said as he gave her a long hug before getting up to leave.

“You better show up or you’re getting coal in your stocking, Jughead Jones!” She had said as he’d left her house.

But he had kept to his word. He had met her right outside the front of Moose’s house where the party was being held right after the dance had ended.

“I’m going to go say hi to Josie, okay Juggy?”

Jughead nodded, smiling before Betty bounded off to where Josie stood in a corner talking to the other Pussycats.

He walked through the house to the kitchen to grab another beer, and proceeded to head to the part of the house where loud cheering could be heard, almost as though something actually interesting must be going on. Jughead swigged his beer as he entered the back room where a roaring fire in a huge, stone fireplace and a large Christmas tree in the corner were the only light sources illuminating a room full of people watching something going on that was apparently very entertaining.

“She’s _amazing_! I’ve never seen anything like it!” He heard someone exclaim.

Jughead peeked around the bodies of people to see Veronica and Reggie Mantle facing off in a serious game of beer pong.

“Mantle is _so_ drunk! The princess is _owning_ him!" Moose exclaimed to the crowd before taking a swig of his beer.

Jughead watched as Veronica consistently got the ping pong ball in each cup she aimed for, causing Reggie to have to drink from the cups of beer. But when it was his turn, he kept missing. Finally, all the cups of beer were empty and Veronica was claimed the victor.

Moose congratulated her as he handed her a shot and she tossed it back like a pro before slamming the glass down to cheers and hollers.

Someone cranked up the music in the room, which was usually Jughead’s cue to exit, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the exotic, incredibly sexy vixen as she took another shot. Suddenly her eyes caught Jughead’s. She smiled as she crooked her finger at him.

Almost like he was under some kind of strange spell, Jughead found himself walking to where she stood in the middle of the room.

“Didn’t think this was your scene, Jones.” She said once he was standing in front of her.

Jughead looked around the room of drunk Riverdale high kids.

“It’s not.” He replied as he trained his gaze on her.

She looked heartbreakingly beautiful in her red party dress. It was no wonder why everyone seemed to be starting to fall in love with the girl they all called “princess.”

“So you were begged to come here?” She asked curiously as she raised an eyebrow at him, a smile playing on her lips.

Jughead shrugged.

“Maybe.” He replied, never taking his eyes off of her.

“You know, for someone who claims he’s not in love with Betty Cooper, you sure act like you are.” She said as her body brushed up against his as more people crowded the room that had somehow become one big dance floor.

Jughead shook his head before taking the last sip of his beer and tossing the cup aside.

“I’m not in love with her. I’m not even fucking her anymore.” He replied gruffly.

Veronica leaned into him so her breasts pushed against his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.

“Can’t say I’m disappointed to hear that.” She said seductively as she ran a finger over Jughead’s bottom lip.

“Oh yeah? Or is that just the alcohol talking?” Jughead asked as his hand gripped her waist.

He knew he should be careful. Anyone could be watching them and he didn’t want anyone, especially Betty or Archie, to know that there was something going on between him and Veronica Lodge. But he had a hard time resisting her, and things were finally going somewhere.

“Maybe. Or maybe I just think you’re really sexy. Or maybe I think you were right about what you said the other night. Maybe it's a little bit of everything, and if you didn’t have old Boring Betty as your date, or whatever she is to you, tonight would be _very_ different.”

Jughead’s heart thundered in his chest as his cock hardened at her words. There was no going back now.

“Don’t think I won’t take you up on that, Lodge. I meant what I said. And I’m not here with Betty.”

Veronica smirked.

“Always bluffing, Jones.”

But Jughead wasn’t about to let her think he wasn’t totally serious. He took her hand and pressed it against his jeans so she could feel his erection.

“This is what you do to me. And I don’t ever bluff when it comes to this.”

Veronica looked up at him as she bit her lower lip, her hand rubbed against him, causing him to close his eyes from how good it felt.

“Fine. You win, Jughead. I think about you. I want you. I wish we could go somewhere right now. But I know we can’t, which only makes me want you even more. Is that what you want to hear?” She asked.

Jughead nodded as he grinned at her.

“Is that true, Princess?” He asked as he lowered his lips to her ear.

 “Yes.” She replied, her tone going from playful to serious in a matter of seconds.

“What are we going to do about that?” He murmured as his hot breath on her neck sent a shiver all the way down to her core.

“I...I think we're just going to have to sleep together.”

When Veronica finally spoke the words that he’d been dying to hear ever since he first laid eyes on her, he felt his whole body weaken. Only Veronica Lodge had ever accomplished such a feat.

“Give me your phone.” He said as he let his hand travel underneath her short, party dress and in between her thighs.

Getting to touch her was like getting to touch the edge of heaven. Her skin was softer and smoother than he had even imagined it would be. He had to go deeper.

Veronica gasped as he slowly slid two of his fingers into the soft, warm folds of her sex while using his other hand to type his phone number into her cell.

“Oh…god…” She whispered as he continued to work her core, making her so wet his hand was drenched.

It was the most satisfying feeling he’d ever felt, and he had never been more thankful for the crush of dancing bodies surrounding them, with no sign of Archie or Betty in sight.

She panted as she clutched his arm, coming hard around his fingers.

“Call me. Text me. I don’t care. But I better hear from you soon.” He growled into her ear.

And with that, his fingers were gone and so was he.

\-----

Veronica lay in her bed thinking about Jughead and how easily he had made her come while they’d been at the Christmas party.

He had done it so effortlessly, so expertly, to the point that he had made her lightheaded and unable to catch her breath from his incredible touch.

After he'd left, she had been so shaken up, so on edge, that she’d had to down a few more drinks. And she’d been able to somewhat relax as the alcohol coursed through her body, but not enough. There wasn't enough alcohol in the world to quell her need for Jughead Jones.

Jughead had done something to her, and now she couldn’t get him out of her mind. And she couldn’t stop touching herself wishing it was him touching her.

She was desperate for him and it’s why she sighed heavily when she found herself texting him at one o’clock in the morning.

“ _Come over_.” Was all she wrote as her heart thundered in her chest waiting for his reply.

It came quickly.

“ _On my way_.”

She smiled to herself as she got up from her bed and quickly went to her bathroom where she brushed her teeth again, fixed her hair, and put on her favorite bra and panty set. She grabbed her silk robe from the back of her bathroom door and tied it loosely around her waist.

He hadn’t asked for an address, making Veronica fully aware that he already knew where she lived. She wondered for how long he’d known where to find her, and if he had driven by before. The thought gave her a little thrill.

Veronica was satisfied with how she’d managed to get herself as presentable as possible on such short notice. She lit a few candles in her room before peeking out of her bedroom door to make sure her grandparents bedroom door was closed down the hallway.

Sneaking back into her own room, she heard a light knock on her window. Her heart nearly stopped knowing it was Jughead, and for a split second she felt a fear creep up inside of her. She wanted to give him all that she knew he’d been wanting from her, but there was one thing she couldn’t do. She only hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed. She prayed he would stay and that he would want her again. She wanted to be good. She wanted to be more than good. She wanted to blow his mind.

She opened her bedroom curtain and smiled at him as she unlocked the window and lifted it easily.

“Hey, Princess.” He said quietly, looking as dangerous and delicious as always.

Veronica was afraid if she spoke, no words would come out. Jughead seemed to have an effect on her that no other guy had ever had on her before.

“Get in here before I change my mind.” She managed to say as she folded her arms over her chest, pretending to be annoyed.

Jughead chuckled as he climbed into her room.

“You wouldn’t change your mind and you know it.”

Veronica shut the window and closed the curtain.

“Hell no, I wouldn’t. I’ve waited too damn long for this.” She said with a sultry grin as she pushed him down onto the edge of her queen-sized bed.

\-----

 

Jughead watched intently as Veronica untied the belt on her silky robe and let it slide off of her shoulders, falling to the floor and pooling around her feet. It was like she’d seen the move in some old film, but instead of being cliché, it was breathtaking.

Jughead’s pulse raced as she stood in front of him in nothing but her matching white bra and panty set, showing off her natural tanned skin. The contrast of the delicate panties with her midnight black hair was completely bewitching to his eyes. There was no doubt about it, Veronica Lodge was an absolute stunner and he could no longer try to stop himself from staring at her. He didn’t think he would ever be able to take his eyes off of her ever again.

Veronica kept her eyes locked on his as she began to unclasp her lacy bra, revealing her perfect breasts, making Jughead’s erection throb at the sight of her as his gaze left hers so his eyes could wander over every curve of her incredible body.

“Damn, Lodge…” He sighed.

He had to admit that he’d never seen anything as beautiful as Veronica Lodge naked and vulnerable and standing before him, wanting him.

She put her hands on her hips and grinned deviously at him.

“Your turn.” She said as she stepped towards him and helped him undress.

Jughead reveled in the feel of her soft hands as they flitted over his bare chest while helping him remove his shirt. He realized then that her touch was enough to completely disarm him. She had so much power and she didn’t even know it.

“Damn, Jones.” She said with a ravenous look on her face as her eyes wandered over his naked form.

She licked her lips with desire before removing her panties.

Jughead’s heart slammed inside his chest so hard he was afraid it would shatter against his rib cage. He was so close to finally having her. It was surreal.

“Come here.” He demanded as he crooked his finger at her the way she had done to him earlier at the party.

This time, Veronica was under _his_ spell as she did as she was told while Jughead sat back down on the edge of her bed.

She climbed onto his lap, rubbing her slick folds against his erection, whimpering at the sensation.

“ _Fuck_ …you’re so wet.” He growled as his hands grabbed her ass.

Veronica gave him a playful grin.

“You always make me wet, Jughead Jones. Whenever I see you. Whenever I think about you. And _especially_ when I fantasize about fucking you.”

Jughead grinned at her words, so turned on by her honesty that his cock twitched, begging to be buried inside her throbbing core.

Veronica eased her body slowly onto him, wincing as he entered her. She felt so good, he swore he saw stars when he closed his eyes. He hadn’t expected her to be so tight and he groaned at how amazing she felt as his cock disappeared inside of her.

“Veronica…are…are you a virgin?” He asked, puzzled.

Veronica shook her head, her eyes closed as she let out a slow exhale.

“No…I’ve just…never been with anyone so…big…” She moaned quietly.

Jughead smirked when her eyes finally snapped opened and looked right into his.

“Yeah, you like hearing that, don’t you?” She said with a grin, her voice quivering as her body adjusted to his size.

“Fuck yes, I do.” Jughead panted as her body began to rock on top of his.

“Holy shit…you feel so _good_.” She whispered in his ear as her arms wrapped around his neck.

“I _knew_ you would feel good…”

Jughead silently agreed with her by pulling her closer to him, molding her body to his. Her beautiful breasts against his chest, the wonderful scent of her, the way her body moved flawlessly in unison with his made Jughead quickly realize that being with Veronica was unlike anything he’d ever felt before and he knew nothing would ever compare to her. She was perfect.

“Why won’t you kiss me, Veronica?” He asked curiously as he grabbed her bottom, pushing her into him so he could go deeper.

He noticed that every time his mouth got close to hers, she would turn her head. Her lips were gorgeous and he wanted nothing more than to claim them with his own.

“It’s just…too personal, Jug.” She said breathlessly between thrusts.

Jughead chuckled.

“And fucking me isn’t personal?”

Veronica sighed.

“It’s too intimate…I guess…I just…I can’t kiss someone during sex until it’s _more_ than just sex…does that make sense?”

Jughead nodded.

“I understand.” He replied before picking her up and laying her down onto her bed so that he was now on top of her.

“But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to kiss you.” He said as he shoved himself into her deep and hard.

Veronica let out a soft yelp, doing her best to be quiet so her grandparents wouldn’t hear them.

“Kiss me anywhere else you want.” She moaned.

Jughead obliged by clamping his mouth onto her neck.

“I’ve wanted you underneath me, my cock inside of you, ever since I first saw you. You’re fucking gorgeous, Veronica Lodge.” He whispered in between kisses on her neck, jawline, and the soft spot behind her ear.

“I thought you hated me.” She panted as she ran her hands down his back.

Jughead chuckled.

“I hated how much I wanted you. I needed to fuck you and it’s worth hating myself over. But _you_ …I could never hate you…”

It took everything he had in him to not kiss her on the lips right at that moment, especially from how beautiful she looked in the dim light of her bedroom. The look on her face as he moved on top of her. The way she moaned when he licked and sucked the rosy tips of her breasts.

“Fuck…I’m going to come.” She said breathlessly as she gripped his shoulders.

Jughead stared at her, mesmerized, as she orgasmed hard around his throbbing cock. The look of total passion on her face, the way she bit her lip, sent him over the edge. He quickly pulled out and came on her smooth, flat belly, shaking from his release.

He lay down beside her as they both tried to catch their breath.

“So... _that_ just happened.” Veronica said casually.

They both chuckled.

"Thank _God_.”

\-----

 

Jughead rode home on his motorcycle in the early hours of the morning. He and Veronica had sex several times before they realized what time it was.

“My grandparents get up ridiculously early.” She’d said with a chuckle.

The two hadn’t talked much, but they didn’t have to. It was as if they understood each other, even in silence.

And in the heat of their passion, Jughead was afraid he would say too much. That he would say things that he wasn’t ready to say, and things that Veronica wasn’t ready to hear.

But the sex had been absolutely mindblowing. Jughead had never known that it could be that good, that satisfying, and yet, addictive in how satisfying it was. He wasn’t sure he could ever get enough of Veronica, and he didn't know if he could wait much longer to be with her again.

The two had promised to keep it all a secret, from everyone. No one needed to know anyway. It was just sex, after all. Nothing more.

Jughead had vowed to himself that he wouldn’t get in over his head, that he would protect his heart fiercely. He told himself that he could not let Veronica get too close, because he knew if he did, she would have the power to break him. She just might be the only woman who could break him completely.

\-----

 

Not since her first day at Riverdale High had Veronica ever been so nervous going to school.

She hadn’t spoken to Jughead since he’d come over to her house the Saturday night before and she wasn’t sure what to expect when she got to their history class that morning.

Things weren’t supposed to change. They would keep the whole random hookup a secret, but she didn’t know when she would get to be with him again. If she would even _get_ to be with him. She fidgeted with the zipper on her leather jacket wondering if he was regretting all of it. If he would go back to the snarky comments and scowls and pretend nothing had ever happened.

As far as Veronica was concerned, she didn’t regret any of it. Being with Jughead had been unlike anything she’d ever felt before. He was fantastic in bed, and so hot that her heart skipped a beat just thinking about him.

No guy had ever done that to her before. No guy had ever made her feel so jittery, anxious, excited, and satisfied all at once. It terrified her but it also made her feel so alive. But she knew she had to be careful. She knew how easy it would be for her to fall for him. And she was aware that falling for Jughead Jones would only add to the series of unfortunate events that had happened in her life over the past few months.

She held her head up as she walked into history class, her eyes locking with Jughead’s as she made her way to her seat in front of him.

“Good morning, Jones!” She chirped the way she always did.

Jughead gave her a nod, but said nothing. Just as he always did.

She looked over her notes as the bell rang and the last of their fellow classmates straggled in.

It took everything in her to not turn around and look at Jughead, but they had a deal. They would act the way they always had towards each other, giving nothing away to anyone who might be paying attention.

Veronica settled in as their teacher, Mr. Parker, began lecturing on the World’s Fair of 1893 in Chicago but she couldn’t relax knowing Jughead was right behind her and not having any idea of what he might be thinking when it came to her, if he was even thinking about her at all.

Finally, the bell rang and she gathered her things nervously. Jughead moved past her towards the door of the classroom and she watched him disappear out into the busy hallway. She sighed to herself as she headed to her next class.

Pretending nothing had happened between her and Jughead to the rest of the world was harder than she’d thought it would be, but she knew it was absolutely necessary. She felt guilty about what it would do to Betty if she found out, even though the two girls weren’t very close. Betty was still friendly to her even though Veronica had broken up with Archie. It made her happy to know that Betty’s possible friendship didn’t come attached to Veronica having the label of Archie Andrew’s girlfriend.

She tried to tell herself that it shouldn’t really upset Betty if she found out about what had happened between her and Jughead. Betty had been the one to break off the friends with benefits relationship with Jughead, not the other way around. But it had been because of Betty’s feelings for the handsome loner. Regardless, Veronica told herself it was just sex, nothing more. She wasn’t dating Jughead, she hadn’t taken Jughead away from Betty. It was just a hookup.

Veronica wanted friends, but she also wanted to be true to herself. She had wanted to sleep with Jughead so she did. She refused to feel guilty about it, which was nearly impossible anyway. The sex had been too good to feel guilty. Jughead was incredible and Veronica could only imagine how hard it must have been for Betty to give it up. But Veronica couldn’t help but be glad that she didn’t have to wonder what it might be like to be with him anymore. She knew all too well now.

 

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Jughead swallowed hard when he saw Veronica enter their Anatomy class later that day. He had wanted to talk to her all day, he wanted to know if she had any regrets about what had happened between them. _He_ certainly didn’t, but he couldn’t get a read on her. She had acted just as she always did when she saw him around school or in class. Nonchalant, fiery, and poised at all times.

He couldn’t help but notice how incredible she looked in her short, denim skirt and black leather jacket. He could barely take his eyes off of her thinking about what he knew was underneath those clothes. Flashes of her gorgeous face as she orgasmed over and over again kept haunting his brain. So much so that he found it nearly impossible to think about how he had completely betrayed Archie.

Jughead knew it had been wrong to sleep with the girl that had broken up with his best friend, and in turn, broken his heart, no matter how short lived the relationship had been. But he also knew how hurt Archie would be to know that Jughead had slept with her. And not only that, but that he wanted to sleep with her again.

He figured it would be better to ask Archie for forgiveness rather than permission, as they say, when it came to Veronica. But he still hoped that Archie wouldn’t find out, at least, not any time soon. Not until he was totally over the dark-haired bombshell.

Jughead took off his beanie and ran his hands over his face and through his hair, not knowing what the hell to do or think. He wanted to be with her again, and as soon as possible. He wanted her to want the same. He didn’t think he could hold back much longer. One of them had to be the one to crack. It might just have to be him this time.

\-----

 

“They smell so good!” Jellybean exclaimed as Veronica pulled a sheet of cookies out of the oven and set them on the counter of the Jones’s kitchen.

It was Thursday already and she hadn’t had any interaction with Jughead other than how they’d always been prior to their hookup. It was driving her crazy not knowing what he was thinking or feeling in regards to her and she was getting to her breaking point.

“Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite. And this recipe was a really popular one on Pinterest!” Veronica said as she waved a pot holder over the cookies to help them cool faster. Jellybean was practically watering at the mouth wanting to bite into one.

“They’re my favorite too! My dad and I used to make them all the time on weekends.”

Veronica smiled as Jellybean grinned at the memory. She had been just about to ask Jellybean where her father was, having still no idea, when she heard the front door open and shut.

“Your mom is home!” Veronica said cheerily as she used a spatula to move the cookies onto a plate.

“Mom has to work late. It must be Jug.” Jellybean said as she bit into a cookie, chocolate smeared on her fingers as she ate heartily.

Veronica felt flutters in her stomach knowing Jughead was home. She tried her best to act cool and casual as he sauntered into the kitchen.

“We made cookies, Juggy! And they’re even better than dad’s.” Jellybean said before taking a gulp of milk.

Jughead smiled at his little sister.

“Hope you’re not spoiling your dinner.” He replied.

Jellybean shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“No. Veronica and I just had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. She’s becoming a great cook!”

Jughead looked at Veronica then, his gaze intense as he smiled softly at her.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest.

“I made enough for you and your mom if you’re hungry.” Veronica said as she pointed to the stove.

Jughead nodded.

“Yeah, I’m _definitely_ hungry.” He said as he continued to look at her.

Veronica couldn't control the thrill that shot throughout her whole body at his words.

“ _Wow_ , the sexual tension in here is giving me a headache.” Jellybean said as she finished up her cookies and milk.

“I’m going to go finish my homework…in my _bedroom_.” She said with a wink.

Veronica and Jughead chuckled as they both blushed. Who would have thought a 12-year-old could call them out so aptly. It was embarrassing but sweet.

“So…do you want to eat now?” Veronica asked him as she got a plate out of the cabinet.

“Sure. And um…I’ve been wanting to…uh…talk to you all week.”

Veronica felt as though she was on pins and needles knowing that he must want to talk to her about what had happened between them, and even if he regretted it, she just wanted to know where she stood. It was driving her crazy wondering how he felt about their hookup. Especially since he seemed so nervous, which was a side of him she had never seen before.

She listened as he continued.

“I…uh…I wanted to text you but I didn’t know if I should…but…I just want you to know that…last weekend was…it was incredible. And I don’t…I don’t regret it at all.”

He paused as he looked at her, waiting for her reaction. Veronica couldn’t control the smile that spread across her face.

“I don’t regret it either.” She said.

Jughead let out a long exhale.

“Cool.” He finally replied as he smiled at her.

Veronica suddenly laughed.

“What? Why are you laughing?” Jughead asked with a nervous grin as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

“I’ve just…I’ve never seen you smile like that before.” She said as she began to make him a plate of food.

Jughead nodded, chuckling.

“Well, I guess you were going to have to see my soft side eventually.” He said as he took the plate and bowl of soup from her.

The two sat down at the dinner table while Jughead ate. Jellybean really _had_ made herself scarce which only made Veronica even more nervous than usual. She wasn’t sure how to talk to Jughead like this, like they were almost friends.

“So…my mom told me about your dad, Veronica. I’m sorry to hear that. I know how tough it is.” He said as he looked at her apprehensively, as if he wasn’t sure how sore of a subject Hiram Lodge might be to Veronica.

But she found herself relieved that he already knew, and she was even more relieved to see that it didn’t seem to bother him in the least.

But there was something he had said that stuck out to her more.

“You know how tough it is?” She asked, curiously.

Jughead nodded before swallowing his bite of the sandwich she’d made him.

“I do, yeah. My dad is in prison too. He’s been in and out a lot throughout my life, but this time, he’s been in for almost two years. So…yeah…I do understand how it is. And if you need anything… _anything_ at all…I’m…I’m here for you, Veronica.”

Veronica could feel her eyes watering up at his words. He seemed so sincere. So kind. Jughead was a much more tender soul than she could have ever imagined.

“Thank you, Jughead. That...that means _a lot_ to me.”

\-----

 

Jughead found himself not wanting Veronica to leave as she began to put on her coat, but she had cleaned up the kitchen and checked on Jellybean. There was nothing left for her to do, but all he could think about was how close by his bedroom was.

“Veronica, before you go…I thought maybe we could look over the assignment for history class.”

Veronica smiled. She wasn’t stupid, she knew Jughead well enough to know that he would _never_ willingly ask her for help with any sort of school assignment. He was proud to a fault when it came to his academics.

“Um, sure, Jug.”

He smiled as he motioned towards the hallway.

“It’s in my room…if you don’t mind.”

Veronica blushed, nodding as she followed him.

Jughead’s heart was beating so fast as he closed his bedroom door behind him and Veronica that he was afraid she would be able to hear it. He had her in his room, something he never would have imagined that first time he ever saw her in the hallways of Riverdale High.

“Jughead, I think you might have the most bizarre room I’ve ever seen.” Veronica said as she took off her coat and lay it on an old wooden rocking chair.

She smiled as she looked at all the old odditities that Jughead had collected over the years. Everything from a vintage Victrola to a collection of derby hats hanging on his wall to an ancient looking typewriter. He had black and white photo after black and white photo hanging on his walls and crates of old vinyl records.

“I feel like I’m walking inside of your brain or something.”

Jughead chuckled.

“Is that a bad thing?” He asked as he grabbed a few shirts off of his bed and threw them in his closet.

Veronica shook her head.

“No, not at all. It’s actually incredibly fascinating. I think I could spend hours in here just looking around.”

Jughead smiled mischeiviously at her.

“I’d rather you spend hours in here doing something _else_.”

Veronica let out a soft laugh as she stepped out of her stiletto heels and pulled her sweater over her head. She undressed slowly for him until she was in nothing but her matching bra and panties.

“You can breathe now, Jug.” She said with a teasing grin as she ran her hands through her dark locks.

Jughead suddenly realized that he’d been holding his breath, and totally unaware of it, until Veronica had noticed. But he couldn’t help it. She was so sexy, it was like she wasn’t even real.

Veronica lay down on Jughead’s bed and smiled as she watched him take his turn at undressing.

“I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve imagined you laying on my bed like that, Veronica Lodge.” He said when he finally joined her, unfastening her bra before grasping her breast.

“I’m so glad I could make your dreams a reality.” She said seductively as she rolled over so she was on top of him.

“Oh fuck…” He groaned as she pushed aside her panties and guided his cock inside of her.

She sighed at the feel of him as he filled her. She rocked her body on top of his, working him in a rhythm that felt so good, his nails dug into the soft skin of her hips while she ran her hands over his chest. She leaned down, her mouth on his neck while she ran her hands through his inky black hair.

“Holy shit…Veronica…” He moaned as her warm, soft lips brushed against cheek, his jawline and to his ear where she whispered softly to him.

“You’re cock inside of me is the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt.”

Jughead was so turned on, burning so hot for her that he flipped her over so he could drive himself into her again and again, as hard and as fast as he could until she was biting his shoulder trying not to scream as she came hard around his throbbing cock. He wanted to kiss her then, but once again, she had avoided letting his lips get too close to hers. It was frustrating, but he did his best to respect what she wanted, or didn’t want.

“Oh…Jughead…” She panted breathlessly underneath him.

He had never heard a better sound than that of Veronica Lodge saying his name.

\-----

 

Veronica didn’t know what time it was as she lay in Jughead’s bed, facing him as he gazed at her.

“You know, you’re probably going to get me grounded.” She said with a smile as he played with a strand of her hair.

“Would it be worth it?”

Veronica nodded.

“Oh, abso- _fucking_ -lutely.”

He chuckled.

“That’s encouraging.”

They were quiet for a while, neither one finding the need to fill the silence. But in the vulnerable moments of being naked with Jughead in his bed, Veronica felt a closeness to him, and a need to confess things she had never said aloud.

“Jug…so you know about my dad…but…did _your_ mom tell you anything about _my_ mom?”

Jughead looked at her, his face filled with concern.

“No. Why, Veronica? Is your mom okay?”

Veronica sighed.

“I’m not sure. I think so. She’s…she’s in California right now….she’s been there for a couple of months…in rehab. My mom is an alcoholic.”

She could feel the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. Saying the words that had been haunting her, but that she knew were true was painful, and yet, strangely therapeutic. And something about telling Jughead about her mother made her feel a comfort she hadn’t expected. As if she knew Jughead would never judge her for her family’s personal tragedies.

“Come here.” Jughead said quietly as he pulled Veronica to him and wrapped her up in his arms.

“I understand having a parent who is an addict. My dad has also struggled with alcohol. Being in prison has forced him to get help for it. Your mom will do what’s best for her. She’ll do what’s best for you. Have some faith in her.”

Veronica nodded as she wept into Jughead’s chest. He held her tight, and she realized in that moment, that Jughead Jones had been a saving grace in the uprooting of her life. And she knew she could fall for him, if she let herself.

\-----

 

Veronica got home late, but at least she had left Jughead’s trailer before his mom had gotten home. She would have been mortified if Gladys Jones knew she was sleeping with her son while Jellybean was only a few doors down the hall.

When Veronica entered the quiet house of her grandparents, she noticed a light on in the kitchen.

She found her grandmother sitting at the table with a book and a cup of tea.

“Oh, grans, were you waiting up for me? I’m so sorry, I lost track of time.”

Veronica’s grandmother looked up at her and smiled warmly.

“Oh it’s okay, honey. I couldn’t sleep anyway. Are you okay?”

Veronica couldn’t hide her smile as she nodded.

“Were you with that boy you like?”

Veronica sighed as she sat down at the table.

“Well, I was babysitting. You know how I’ve been looking after that young girl on the Southside? Well, her brother is the boy that I…I don’t know…yeah…I like him. I _really_ like him. And we were just talking…just hanging out…”

Veronica’s grandmother nodded, understanding how Veronica was feeling.

“Does he like you too?” She asked, curiously.

Veronica shrugged.

“I…I don’t really know for sure…but…I hope so. Ugh, grans, I just…I’ve never really felt like this before. It’s so… _different_.”

Veronica’s grandmother gave her a knowing grin.

“Well, I hope your grandfather and I can meet him soon. We want to know who the boy is that is making our granddaughter smile in a way we’ve never seen.”

Veronica could feel herself blushing. She never would have thought she would be feeling the way she felt about Jughead, but when he had held her while she’d cried after telling him about her mom, it had meant something to her. It had meant everything to her. He offered her a comfort that no one else had been able to give her.

“Well, if he and I ever get to that point, I will let you and gramps know. But…I just don’t know what will happen yet.”

\------

  
“Hey, wake up, Jug!”

Jughead turned suddenly to see his boss, Mercedes, giving him a strange look as if he wasn’t sure what had gotten into his employee all of a sudden.

“Uh…um…sorry. I was just…”

But Mercedes just shook his head.

“You were off in outer space or something, man. Come back to earth and get that motor running.”

Jughead couldn’t deny that he had been lost in his thoughts, totally unaware that he’d been staring under the hood of an old Volkswagon hatchback for the past 20 minutes.

Truth was, he’d been thinking about Veronica and the talk they’d had in his bedroom a few nights earlier.

She had a lot more pain and heartache in her life than he’d ever could have imagined. Watching her cry had nearly broken his heart. The girl who seemed to strong, so confident and invincible, had let him hold her and kiss her hair and tell her everything would be okay.

The moment had been one that he couldn’t get out of his mind. He realized that there was so much more to Veronica Lodge, and he wanted to peel back every layer of her. He wanted to know her. He wanted to be there for her. And more than anything, he wanted her to want the same with him.

He sighed as he shut the hood of the Volkswagon after doing the quick fixes to the engine and wiped his hands on his coveralls. He looked at the time and quickly realized he was almost late to meet Jellybean and Veronica at the Bijou for a matinee of _Miracle on 34th Street._

With school being out for Christmas break and Christmas still a few days away, Veronica was spending her days babysitting Jellybean while Mrs. Jones and Jughead were working. But today, Jughead had offered for Veronica to join him and Jellybean for their annual Christmastime tradition. She had gladly accepted the invite, her eyes sparkling and her smile so warm, Jughead thought he would melt into a puddle right at her high-heel wearing feet.

He’d never felt this way for a girl before. And the thoughts that played around in his mind over what it could mean were exciting, but terrifying, all at once.

And he knew he was in deeper than he’d ever planned on being when he couldn’t stop stealing glances at Veronica during the movie.

She laughed and cried at all the right parts and in a sweet and tender way that Jughead hadn’t expected. There was an innocence and a fragility to Veronica that he’d never seen before until recently, and he wondered how in the world he could have pegged her as being nothing more than a stuck up, vapid rich girl.

When the movie was over, he’d asked her to hang out for a while since his mom had gone off to her work Christmas party and Jellybean was staying the night with a friend.

Veronica had responded by taking his hand in hers and leading him to his bedroom where they no longer had to be quiet, with no one around to hear them.

The sex had been better than it had ever been, and Jughead wondered how in the world he could ever find anyone more incredible than Veronica Lodge. He didn't think he ever could.

\-----

 

“So did you hear about Cheryl’s New Year’s Eve party next weekend?” Betty asked Veronica as she sat at the counter at Pop’s drinking a milkshake and checking her phone for party updates.

It was Christmas Eve but since Veronica was the newest employee at Pop's, she had gotten stuck working the closing shift. At least Pop’s was closing at ten that night, the only night when it wasn’t a 24-hour diner.

But Veronica didn’t really mind working the late hours. Christmas just didn’t feel like Christmas without her parents around. She hadn’t even wanted to think about how it was the first Christmas she had ever spent without them.

But she wouldn’t allow herself to cry over it. She was determined to get through it, no matter what. But she welcomed the company of the chipper Betty Cooper.

Veronica shook her head.

“No…but I don’t think I’m Cheryl’s favorite person.”

Betty chuckled.

“Cheryl’s just a crusty bitch sometimes, but she’ll want you to be there. Trust me. And it wouldn’t be as fun if you weren’t there.” Betty said with a warm smile.

Veronica smiled back. It felt good to know Betty wanted her around, and Cheryl too.

“I _have_ to go. I told Archie that we could go together as…you know…just friends.”

Veronica sighed. She still felt terrible about what had happened between her and Archie. Especially when he still hadn’t seemed to have gotten over it when he hadn’t been able to stop texting her randomly. And she had found him hanging outside her chess club meetings once he’d finished football practice. He'd wanted to hang out, but she always had an excuse. He wasn’t giving up so easily, but it was a lost cause. Veronica only had eyes for one guy, and one guy only.

“I’m sorry, V. Is that a sore subject?” Betty asked, sincerely.

“No, no.” Veronica replied, not only feeling guilty about Archie but feeling extremely guilty about how she had started to become good friends with Betty, and Betty had no idea about what had been going on between her and Jughead.

“I just want Archie to enjoy himself. I want him to have fun. _Please_ show him a good time, B.” Veronica pleaded as she refilled the napkin dispensers on the counter.

Betty chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll be fine. I think Archie just isn’t used to a girl cutting him loose. His ego is still trying to make sense of it.” She said as she gave Veronica a reassuring pat on her hand.

“I guess I can relate. I still have a hard time accepting Jughead not wanting to be more than friends. He’s a total enigma.”

Veronica nodded.

“That he is.” She said softly.

“You have a few classes with him, right? Does it seem like he’s dating anyone or anything like that? Lately, he just seems so… _different_ than usual.”

Veronica swallowed hard, doing her best to not let her hands shake nervously from Betty’s inquiry.

“You know, uh…I don’t really talk to him much, B. I wouldn’t know.”

Betty nodded.

“Maybe he’s seeing some Serpent girl or something. But it’s got to be something like that. Oh well…I’ll get over it eventually.” She said with a somber chuckle.

A part of Veronica wanted so badly to just tell Betty that _she_ was the one that was making Jughead act differently. That _she_ was the reason why he seemed preoccupied and distant to everyone else lately. But she had made a pact with Jughead that they would keep it a secret, especially from Archie and Betty. And Veronica was terrified of losing the first real friend she’d had in a long time. Betty was a good, kind soul and she didn’t deserve to know about something that would only cause her heartache.

Betty stayed at the Chock-o-lit shop for a little while longer, chatting with Veronica about everything from books to music to what they planned on majoring in once they got to college. The only subject Veronica wouldn’t touch was talking about her parents. She still wasn’t ready for anyone to know about that part of her life. She wondered how long before she’d have to face the truth and tell everyone about her sordid past.

“Well, I better get going. My mom will _kill_ me if I miss the annual ‘hanging of the stockings’ while my dad sings _Santa Claus is Coming to Town_. It’s like they think Polly and I are still babies or something.” She said as she rolled her eyes.

“Have a fabulous Christmas, Betty.” Veronica said as Betty leaned over the counter to give her a hug.

“You too, V!” Betty replied cheerily.

“And don’t forget about the New Year’s party. I expect to see you there!”

Veronica sighed as she watched Betty get into her car and drive away. What she wouldn’t give to tell Betty how lucky she was and to never take it for granted when your parents drive you crazy, because you never knew when they wouldn’t be around.

\-----

  
It was bitterly cold outside as the beginnings of a fresh snowfall swirled around Jughead as he tapped on Veronica’s window.

She opened her curtain, a puzzled look on her face turned to a smile when she saw him there unexpectedly.

“What are you _doing_ here?” She asked quietly once she’d raised her window quickly and ushered him into her warm bedroom.

“Thought I’d let you know that it’s snowing outside.” He said as he shrugged off his Serpent jacket and lay it on the plush, red velvet chair by the window.

Veronica chuckled softly.

“Well, I appreciate you coming all this way to tell me that.”

Jughead suddenly realized he’d never really looked around Veronica’s bedroom before. It was nothing like he would have thought it would be. She had bookshelves lined with books and journals, posters of plays and musicals on her walls as well several beautiful watercolor paintings.

“Did you do those?” He asked, curiously as he pointed to the paintings.

Veronica smiled bashfully.

“Yes…my mother taught me. We used to paint together all the time…”

Her voice trailed off as she stared at the walls. Her eyes began to water as she turned her head away from Jughead. It was obvious to Jughead that Veronica was having a hard time being away from her parents during the holidays. He knew all too well how she felt.

“I know it’s tough, Veronica. But…you’ll make it through…that’s…that’s really why I came over tonight. I wanted you to know that I understand. I’ve been where you are. I spent more than one Christmas with foster families. It’s never easy, but it’s okay to feel the pain. Don’t feel like you have to be strong all the time.”

He took her hand in his and pulled her to him.

“It’s okay.” He said as he wrapped his arms around her.

Veronica sobbed as he held her, her face buried in his chest, unable to keep up the stealy demeanor she’d tried to have all day when it came to missing her parents.

They stayed that way for a while until Veronica finally pulled away.

“So…I…I got you a Christmas gift.” She said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled.

Jughead chuckled.

“You didn’t have to do that…but…I got you one too.”

Veronica blushed, which was something he’d only recently seen her do. Veronica had never seemed like the blushing type, but Jughead liked knowing he brought that side out in her.

“You first.” Veronica said as she handed him a small box wrapped in sparkling silver paper with a black bow.

It was so sleek and elegant, just like her.

Jughead’s heart pounded hard as he opened the gift. He still couldn’t believe how surreal it felt to be sitting like this with Veronica Lodge, exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve, alone in her room.

And when he pulled out a gold, antique pocket watch from the box, he stared at it in complete disbelief.

“It was my grandpa’s, and it’s been in the family for years. But he said I could have it if I wanted it. I know how much you seem to like antiques. I thought you could use this in your collection.”

Jughead didn’t know what to say. He was beyond amazed.

“Veronica, this is an Elgin pocket watch from the 1800’s. They’re worth… _a lot_. You could use the money for this watch. Add it to your college fund. I…I can’t take this.” He finally managed to say as he turned the watch over and over in his hands.

But Veronica shook her head.

“I know how much its worth, Jug, and I want you to have it. No one could appreciate it the way you could.”

Jughead wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then, but he remembered her one rule and he held back. Instead, he distracted himself by giving her the box he’d had tucked under his arm.

“I feel like my gift to you isn’t anything close to being as special…but…I hope you like it.”

Veronica smiled warmly.

“Just the fact that you even _wanted_ to get me something is a gift in itself.” She said teasingly as she undid the purple, satin bow and unwrapped the snowflake wrapping paper.

She opened the box and stared down at what lay inside. She smiled as her eyes filled with tears for a second time that night.

“It’s one of the snowflakes you made for the dance. Betty told me that they were beautiful. And they are. It…it reminds me of that first night that I came over here.”

Veronica lifted the glass-framed snowflake from the box and held it up.

“Jughead…this is…unbelievably sweet…you snuck into the school just to get one of them?”

Jughead nodded.

“Well… _broke_ in, actually, right before I went to Moose’s party. But I got two. One for me and one for you. The other one is now hanging up in my room.”

Veronica sighed as she gazed at him.

“Jughead…I…I don’t even know what to say…this is honestly the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever been given. _Ever_. Thank you.” She said as she leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

She got up from her bed and took down one of the watercolor paintings so she could hang up the snowflake. She admired it, smiling softly as Jughead got up and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Merry Christmas, Veronica.” He whispered in her ear as he brushed her hair away from her neck.

She turned around so she was facing him.

“Merry Christmas, Jughead.”

And that’s when she gave him his _real_ gift as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

 

To be continued...

 


	7. Chapter 7

Jughead could hardly believe it was finally happening, that Veronica finally had her gorgeous mouth on his. He cupped her face in his hands, not wanting her to go anywhere anytime soon as he swept his tongue over her lips, a silent request for her to give him permission to kiss her back, to kiss her deeper.

And she complied by plunging her tongue into his mouth, sweeping it over his in a hot, tangled dance. He moaned softly as she ran her hands through his hair, sucking his bottom lip before allowing his tongue to explore hers once more.

Kissing Veronica was so intoxicating that he suddenly felt unsteady on his feet. He quickly lifted her up and collapsed onto her bed where they undressed each other while stealing kisses in between pieces of clothing landing on the floor of her room.

His heart thumped hard inside his chest remembering what Veronica had said. That she only kissed someone during sex if it was more than just sex. What she meant by “more,” he wasn’t sure. He didn’t know if she meant that it was love or something close to it. All he really knew was that what was happening between them was on another level than where it had been a couple weeks earlier. And he had no intention of things going anywhere but full steam ahead.

Jughead shoved himself into her hard as Veronica gasped from the force, smiling as her body molded to his.  
  
“Kiss me again.” Jughead murmured as he hovered over her, thrusting slow and steady in that way that made her dig her nails into his back from how good it felt.  
  
Veronica grinned sexily as she brought his face to hers and slanted her mouth over his, fulfilling his request with deep, heady kisses.  
  
Jughead knew right then that he was falling hard for Veronica Lodge.

  
\-----  
  
  
Veronica lay on her side, staring at the framed snowflake on her wall while Jughead’s arms were wrapped around her. She could hear the steady rhythm of deep breaths as he slept. She wished more than anything that he could stay all night but she knew he’d have to leave before the sun began to rise.  
  
In the meantime, she wanted to enjoy being alone with him, in the quiet of her room, thinking about how amazing he made her feel. To the point that she had finally allowed herself to kiss him. She couldn’t hold back any more. She knew that what she felt for him was more than an attraction, more than just enjoying sex with him. She felt something _real_ for Jughead Jones. Something meaningful. Something big.

His gift to her had been so thoughtful, and not just for the sentimentality of it but that he had broke the law to get it, had even wanted one of his own. There was so much simplicity in what it was, and yet it held so much meaning. Veronica couldn’t help but wonder what Jughead was feeling about her and if the snowflake was an indication of there being something more from his side too.

Veronica let her mind play with the idea of being Jughead’s girl, and she found herself smiling. Twice now he had held her why she cried. It was just the kind of thing every girl hoped for. A sweet, sexy, considerate man who would protect her and love her when she needed it most. There was a strength in that, and thinking about Jughead’s incredible support led her to lean over and open the drawer to her bedside table.

  
She pulled out the two letters from her parents and sat up in her bed, preparing herself to finally read them. Her pulse raced, her heart pounded. She knew she was ready to hear what her parents had to say, she just needed that last little push to open the envelope.

“Do you want me to read them to you?”

Jughead’s sleepy voice shook her from her nervous thoughts.

She looked at him as he sat up next to her.

“Really? You would do that?” She asked, amazed once again at how incredibly compassionate he was.

How she had ever thought that he couldn't possibly have this side of himself, she didn’t know. Jughead was the kindest person she had ever met in her whole entire life.

“Of course. I’d do anything for you.”

Veronica couldn’t help herself as she leaned over to kiss him tenderly on his soft lips. He had the best lips, and she wouldn’t be able to resist them ever again.

She handed Jughead the letters. He opened the one from her father first, and Veronica was relieved. He cleared his throat before he began to read her father’s words quietly in the dim light of her room.

_Veronica, my darling daughter,_

_I miss you more than I could ever say with words and I can never apologize enough for what I’ve done to you and to our family._

_I don’t regret the things I’ve done in order for myself, your mother, and you to live a comfortable life. I don’t regret decisions I’ve made. What I regret is that I wasn’t more careful and that I got overly confident. I should have been more mindful, because I know that more than anyone, you are the one suffering most from my carelessness._

_Veronica, my love, I vow to make things right with our family. I vow to do whatever is necessary to get out of this hell hole and back to you and your mom. We will be a family again, and soon. Please believe me and please have faith in me._

_I hope, more than anything in the world, to hear from you soon._

_I love you, Ronnie._

_Love,_  
_Dad_

Veronica sighed as Jughead finished the letter.

“Are you okay?” He asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Veronica shrugged.

  
“I don’t know, Jug. I mean, he basically said he doesn’t regret doing the illegal shit he did to get thrown in jail. I mean, I get that he did it in order to provide for us…but…couldn’t he have just made money the _legitimate_ way?”

Jughead nodded, understanding.

“Veronica, I’ve asked myself that same question a million times when it comes to my dad. I have even asked it of myself when I’ve done things that were less than legal while being a Serpent. Sometimes, money is made easier when you go down the wrong path. It doesn’t excuse it, but sometimes the desperation to provide just takes over.”

Veronica smiled.

“Thank _god_ you’re here, Jug. Only you could explain something like that to where it makes total sense. I don’t love the fact that my dad has been involved in a criminal life, but I understand why. I just...I just want him to try to come clean from that way of life. At least someday.” She said with a sigh.

"All you can do is hope." Jughead replied as he kissed her temple reassuringly before opening up the letter from her mom.

“This is the hard one…” She said nervously as Jughead unfolded the familiar stationary of Hermione Lodge.

Jughead took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze as he began to read.

_Ronnie,_

_I miss you so much. More than words can say. Being here has made me realize just how much you were taking care of me and how unfair that was to you. You were being the parent when I needed to be the parent, especially after your father was arrested. I should have been there for you and I wasn’t. Ronnie, my lovely girl, I can never tell you enough how sorry I am. I hope you will forgive me._

_I’m working hard to get back to you. I’m doing my best to do everything I need to do in order to get better. It’s tough, much tougher than I thought it would be but it’s worth it. I want to show you and prove to you that I can be the kind of mother you deserve. I will make this all up to you, I swear._

_I hope you are doing well in Riverdale, and that school is going well and that you are making friends. Riverdale is a whole other world than New York, but it was a wonderful place to grow up. Do whatever you need to do to feel happy and accepted. I know everyone there will love you._

_Please write me soon. I understand if you need time, but hearing from you will give me more strength to keep going. I can’t tell you enough how much I love you and think about you. Thank you for being the wonderful person, and daughter, that you’ve always been._

_I love you._

_Mom_

Veronica was in tears once Jughead finished the letter and put it back in its envelope. He wrapped both arms around Veronica and sunk down into her bed with her. He stroked her hair and kissed her cheek, his comfort meaning everything to her in that moment.

  
“You’re parents obviously love you a lot. Sure, they’ve messed up. They’re only human. But there is no doubt they love you more than anything.” He said softly as he kissed her shoulder, his arms still enveloping her tightly.

“This has been so hard…I just…Jughead...I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here right now. Those letters would _still_ be in that drawer. Thank you…thank you so much.” She said as she wiped her eyes.

She climbed on top of his lap, sitting astride him as she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly and slowly. Kissing him felt so good that she wished she’d done it a lot sooner than tonight.

“You…are…amazing…” She said in between kisses as her hands fisted in his dark hair.

She could feel Jughead’s cock harden as she began to move her body on top of his.

“Make love to me.” She whispered.

It was no longer just sex to her anymore. It was so much more. Her heart was full, she had never been so happy during such turmoil in her life, but Jughead had done something no one else had been able to do. He’d given her stability in her instability and it meant everything to her.

“Veronica…” Jughead groaned as she kissed and sucked along the sensitive skin of his neck passionately and unrelentingly. She couldn’t get enough.

“ _Fuck_ …Veronica…I…” But he never finished what he was going to say as Veronica covered his mouth with hers.

She didn’t know what he’d been about to tell her, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear whatever it was. She just wanted to feel him inside of her, plunging in and out of her throbbing core until she was whimpering with pleasure at the expert way he worked her body. She didn’t know if this was love yet, but she knew it was damn close.

\-----

  
“Are you going to call your dad?” Veronica asked as she lay naked in her bed watching Jughead get dressed to leave.

He didn’t want to go, He wanted to stay with her for as long as possible. Especially when she looked so incredibly gorgeous with her black hair framing her face, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed from having made love for hours.

But he knew it was almost sunrise and he needed to leave while he still had the cover of darkness to hide his coming and going.

“I don’t know. I know it’s Christmas, I know I should…”

Veronica got up from her bed and wrapped her arms around his waist as she looked up into his eyes.

“Do you want me to be there with you when you call? I’ll be there for you like you’ve been there for me. I want to.”

Jughead smiled at her, his heart beating fast at how sincere she was, at how much she really seemed to care.

“Yeah…that would be great, Veronica. Thank you.”

Veronica smiled as she raised up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

“You’re making it really hard for me to leave.” Jughead murmured against her lips as he ran his hands over her bare bottom.

Veronica chuckled softly.

“I’ll come over later…and then maybe we can…I don’t know…go to a movie…or something.”

Jughead pulled away to look at her.

“Did you just ask me out on a date, Princess?”

Veronica blushed as she gazed up at him.

“Yeah…I think I just did.”

\-----

  
Later that morning, after Veronica had a breakfast of eggs and toast with her grandparents and opened gifts, she sat at her desk with the new, personalized stationary that her grandmother had given to her for Christmas.

“Is this some kind of hint?” She had asked with a laugh when she’d opened the box with the beautiful lavender paper and matching envelopes inside.

“Well, not entirely.” Her grans had replied, chuckling.

Veronica had told her grandmother that she had read her parent’s letters. That it had been tough, and she had cried, but it had been extremely therapeutic. She had needed her parent’s words more than she had realized.

She left the part out about Jughead, though she had wanted desperately to tell her grandparents about how much he had helped her.

Veronica found it easy to churn out a letter for each of her parents. She told them both all about school and the new friends she was making. She even told them about Jughead and how much she liked him and how much he'd been there for her. She wanted them to know she was okay, that things in her new home hadn't been easy at first but it was going so well now. She didn't want them to worry and she wanted them to be proud of her.

She forgave them both for their errant ways. It was something she hadn't thought she could do before, but she could now. She was grateful that she had taken the time that she had needed, and beyond grateful for the support she'd received from Jughead to get her to the place she was now in. A place of peace. Being able to write those letters to her parent's had everything to do with Jughead. He was the rock she had needed.

"So, um...is it okay if I go out on a date tonight?" Veronica asked, full of nervous excitement knowing that she and Jughead were on the cusp of officially dating.

She sat at the dinner table with her grandparents enjoying a Christmas day feast, hoping they wouldn't mind her bailing on Christmas day.

Her grandmother and grandfather smiled at her.

"Did the boy you like finally ask to take you for a night on the town?" Her grandfather asked.

Veronica nodded.

"Well, I kind of asked _him_ , to be honest." She said bashfully.

"Hey, nothing wrong with that. I wish it had been more in fashion for the girls to ask out the boys back in _my_ day. Would have saved me a lot of nerves!" Her grandfather said with a chuckle.

"Well, it's about time! I'm so happy for you, Ronnie. And what is the name of this young man you fancy?" Her grandmother asked, excited for her grandaughter. 

Veronica looked down at her hands, smiling to herself. It still seemed so surreal that she was going out with Jughead. That he actually wanted to spend time with her outside of the bedroom and outside of her babysitting Jellybean.

"His name is Jughead. Jughead Jones."

Veronica looked up to see her grandparents eyeing each other with worried expressions on their faces.

"Is that FP's boy?" Her grandfather asked timidly.

Veronica nodded slowly.

"Why? Is there something wrong with going out with him?"

Veronica's grandmother let out a sigh.

"Um...isn't FP in prison?" 

Veronica nodded.

"Yeah, Jughead's dad is in prison but so is _mine_." Veronica replied defensively. 

She hadn't known that her grandparents knew who the Jones's were, but whatever they apparently knew wasn't good.

"He's a good guy, grans. He's been there for me."

Veronica's grandfather shook his head.

"We're not saying he isn't, sweetie. We just...we know about FP and about the Serpents. We know his son has taken over now that he's in prison. We just don't want you getting...hurt."

Veronica sighed.

"I'm not going to get hurt. Jughead would _never_ let that happen."

She hoped the earnestness in words would be enough to convince her grandparents to not worry.

"We're just trying to look out for you, Veronica. We know your father might not be very happy with you dating a Jones."

But Veronica shook her head.

"I don't care. Dad has no right to tell me who I can or cannot date, seeing as how he's locked up at the moment. I'm going to date him, no matter what it takes."

Veronica hated having to raise her voice to the two people who'd shown her so much love and kindness, but she knew what she wanted and it had taken a long time to get to where she was with Jugehad. She wasn't turning back.

"Okay, dear. We won't stop you. But please, Veronica, _please_ be careful."

Veronica nodded, but deep down she knew that life wasn't about being careful.

She didn't know that word.

\-----

 

"Bean! This is beautiful! Thank you so much." Veronica said as she gave Jellybean Jones a tight hug.

The two had exchanged Christmas presents when Veronica arrived at the Jones's trailer. Jellybean had given Veronica a beautifully beaded bracelet that she had made all by herself in her art class at school. The thoughtful gift warmed Veronica's heart.

"Are you going to wear it on your date tonight?" Jellybean asked with a sly grin.

Veronica looked over at Jug, not sure what to say.

"She guessed. What can I say? Apparently my sister can read me like a book." He said as he rolled his eyes.

Jellybean nodded with a smug look on her face.

"He had the goofiest grin on his face this morning at breakfast. It was too obvious."

Veronica chuckled as she got up from her spot on the couch.

"I think I'm going to go help your mom clean up." She said as she walked towards the small kitchen, leaving Jellybean and Jughead to begin working on the unicorn puzzle Veronica had given Jellybean for Christmas.

"Hey Veronica! Do you want some more pie?" Gladys Jones asked as she motioned to the half eaten apple pie on the counter that they'd all had for dessert when Veroinca had arrived.

"Oh, no, thank you. It was delicious though." Veronica replied with a smile as she began to help stack dishes and carry them to the sink.

"Um...Mrs. Jones?" 

Veronica was nervous but she knew she had to talk to Jughead's mom, especially after the conversation she'd had with her grandparents.

"What's up, hon?" Gladys asked as she eyed Veronica curiously, as though she knew Veronica was unsure about something. 

"I...uh...you know that I really like Jughead...what's happened between us has been... _unexpected,_ to say the least."

Veronica took a deep breath before continuing.

"I mentioned to my grandparents that he and I had a date tonight and they seemed...concerned. Is there something...I don't know...some kind of problem between Mr. Jones and my dad? Something I should know about? Because whatever my dad is involved in, I know nothing about it. I just like Jughead...I just...I want to be with him...and...I don't want it to cause any problems with our families...does that make sense?"

Glady Jones exhaled slowly before speaking.

"Veronica, you're a lovely, kind girl and I have no problem with you and Jughead dating. I was unsure at first, but I see what kind of person you are. Yes, there have been issues with your father and my husband, but I don't want to get into all of that. It's in the past and it needs to stay in the past. So you and Jug just go out tonight and enjoy yourselves and don't worry about this messy adult stuff. How does that sound?"

Veronica couldn't hide her smile. Knowing that Jughead's mom and sister both accepted her was the best Christmas gift she could ever ask for. She could only hope her parents would be as understanding as Gladys Jones.

\-----

 

Jughead and Veronica sat on his bed, kissing heatedly, passing the time before they went to the movie they would be seeing later that night.

"You know, you're totally procrastinating on calling your dad." Veronica murmured into his ear as Jughead kissed her neck, his hand under her sweater while clutching her breast.

"I know...but...what an incredible way to procrastinate." He replied gruffly before kissing her lips and moving his hand down to the button on her jeans.

"Juggikins...as much I don't want you to stop, you need to call him. Christmas isn't over yet. Give him the gift he needs."

Jughead sighed as he pulled away and reached for his phone in his back pocket.

"Talking about my dad is a mood killer. I guess I have no choice now." He said with a teasing grin as he dialed the number for the prison his dad was being held in.

His heart was in his throat as he asked the operator to connect him with the corrections officer that would bring his dad to the phone.

"Hello?" 

Jughead's first instinct was to hangup, but as he looked at Veronica, her smiling face a silent cheer for him for doing the one thing he'd been dreading, he kept his cool.

"Merry Christmas, dad."

Jughead could hear the quiet gasp of his father on the other end of the phone.

"Juggy? Son? Holy shit, you're finally calling your old man. Merry Christmas, indeed!"

Jughead listened attentively as his dad told him all about what he'd been up to in prison lately, how things had been going, the classes he'd been taking to get his G.E.D. How the rehab had continued to be going really well. And Jughead filled him in on his job, school, his mom and Jellybean.

"And the Serpents? How's that going?" FP asked curiously.

Jughead swallowed hard.

"I...I'm doing my best, dad. I mean...we're still trying to make the money we need for the new lawyer but we're almost at the goal. I got us a few legitimate jobs working security at a new club and a few other events around town. And...I...I got us a construction job with some help from Fred. I just...I'm trying."

FP sighed on the other end of the phone. Jughead was on pins and needles wondering if his dad was going to tear into him for all the changes he'd been making with the gang that had not only been like family to his dad, but they had been his livelihood too. Jughead knew the illegal stuff would yield more money at a faster pace and help get the retainer fee for the attorney quicker, but his gut had kept telling him to keep things clean with the gang's business dealings.

"Son, that's amazing. Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?"

Jughead wasn't sure what to say, but he decided he needed to be honest.

"I was just...afraid. Afraid that I would disappoint you somehow. Afraid that I wasn't doing things right. I'm only 18 and I'm trying to fill the shoes of a man whose shoes could never be filled. I worry about making you proud."

Jughead heard FP chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Jug, my boy...you _do_ make me proud. I can't even tell you how much. Your mom says you have done an amazing job of holding things together while I've been in the slammer. I couldn't be more proud of you if I tried."

Jughead smiled as his eyes met Veronica's. He nodded, letting her know that the conversation with his dad was going well. Veronica quietly clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Dad...there's another reason why I finally called you. I...um...I met this girl...she really inspired me, encouraged me, to call you. I...I really like her." 

Jughead could feel his cheeks getting warm as he told his dad about Veronica, and in turn, admitted to Veronica how he was feeling about her. She smiled bashfully as he pulled her closer to him.

"Gotta girl in your life, huh? What's her name?" FP asked curiously.

Jughead gazed into Veronica's brown eyes as he ran a hand over her cheek.

"Veronica Lodge. She's wonderful...and she's beautiful." He said as he and Veronica looked at each other, the energy between them seemed to pulsate. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

But there was silence on the other end of the call for a while before FP finally spoke.

"Your girl is a Lodge?" He asked, his voice suddenly cold.

Jughead hadn't expected his dad to sound so unhappy about him finally finding a girl he connected with, but he'd known that there had been some kind of beef between his dad and Hiram Lodge after what his mother had told him.

"Yes, but...is there a problem with that?" Jughead asked, suddenly feeling incredibly defensive.

"Hell yeah there's a problem with that. I absolutely forbid you to date a Lodge. She'll only find some way to fuck you over, Jug. Mark my words."

But Jughead wasn't about to let his dad ruin the very thing that had been making him so happy lately. 

"You can't forbid me, dad. You don't have to accept it, but you can't forbid it. I care about her...a lot."

Jughead hated the pained look on Veronica's face. Even with only hearing one end of the conversation, she had a good idea of what FP Jones was saying about her and her family.

"I'm warning you, Jug. It's a mistake. She'll be the death of you."

Jughead wasn't about to listen to what his father was telling him. FP didn't know Veronica and had no idea how wrong he was.

"Maybe so, but I'll find out on my own. Goodnight, dad."

And with that, he hung up.

"Fuck..." He seethed as he tossed his phone onto the bed and rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair.

"So, you basically got the same reaction from your dad about _me_ that I got from my grandparents about _you_. We're fucked, Jughead."

But Jughead shook his head no. There was no way he was going to let _anyone_ dictate who he should be with. And he wanted Veronica Lodge, no matter what. He pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him, facing him. He gripped her waist as he looked into her eyes.

"I want to be with you, Veronica. I...I'm not ready for this to be over, not by a long shot. So...I'm in this if you are."

Veronica wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his.

"I'm in, Jughead. I'm in all the way."

 

To be continued...

 


	8. Chapter 8

Archie walked out of the Bijou after seeing a showing of his favorite army movie,  _Stripes_. Ever since he and Veronica had broken up, he'd spent a lot of time at the old Riverdale movie theater in order to escape his thoughts of her for awhile. And after being at home all day for Christmas, he needed the break to get out and get some fresh air.

He knew he would eventually get over the raven haired beauty, but he wasn't there yet. It had been hard to let her go when he had really started to fall for Veronica Lodge. He'd had no idea that she had felt differently than he did until she had dumped him.

And sure, she had been as sweet as anyone could be when they told someone they'd been dating that they didn't want to date them anymore. But no matter how gently she had broken things off with him, it still hadn't stopped him from feeling incredibly wounded and heartbroken.

Archie sighed, thinking about how much he'd wanted things to get more serious with her, how he couldn't wait to introduce her to his mom when she was supposed to be coming into town for the holidays. He had been thinking about prom and graduation and a summer full of hot nights and hangouts at the lake. And Veronica had been by his side in all of his daydreams. 

But it wasn't meant to be. Veronica had made it clear that she wasn't interested in pursuing anything long term with him and that she didn't have time to commit to a relationship. Archie had done his best to accept it, but he couldn't stop himself from attempting to change her mind. But no matter how hard he'd tried, she wasn't giving in. 

Archie walked to his truck and sighed, lost in his thoughts wondering what Veronica was up to on that Christmas day evening.

But he didn't have to wonder for long.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a red Mustang just like Veronica's sitting under a tree, as far away from the other cars as possible.

His curiosity got the better of him as he walked over to where she was parked to see if there was anything wrong. His heart pounded hard in his chest wondering if she'd come to the theater to see a movie too, and maybe she was still inside. He wondered if he should wait for her, just to say hi and wish her a Merry Christmas. But as he got closer, he realized that someone was in the car, in the backseat. Archie squinted as he stood in front of the Mustang and saw Veronica's black hair flowing down her bare back. He immediately realized that she was with someone else, that she was making love to someone in her car, in the parking lot of the Bijou.

He felt sick to his stomach, unable to see who she was with but he saw a set of hands gripping Veronica's waist as she rocked her body on top of whoever her companion was.

Archie backed away from the car, suddenly feeling as if he'd just had his heart ripped out of his chest at what he had just witnessed. 

The girl he cared about more than any other girl he'd ever known was with someone else, and in a way he'd never gotten to be with her. The hurt and rage he felt was enough to make him want to bust out the window of the car and ring the neck of whoever the guy was, but he knew that wouldn't solve anything.

So much for her not having time for a relationship. She just didn't want a relationship with _him_ , and he wanted to know who it was that she _did_ have have time for.

\-----

 

"Checkmate."

Veronica dropped her head into her hands, exasperated as she sat across from Jughead on his living room floor.

"Jughead, _please_ join the chess team! We could be the state champs!" She pleaded as Jughead beat her once again.

They had decided to spend the afternoon hanging out as his house while Jellybean was busy baking cupcakes and Mrs. Jones was at work.

"Absolutely not." Jughead replied as he shook his head.

"Oh come on, baby. Won't you join...for _me_?" She asked sweetly as she crawled over the chessboard and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

Suddenly she yelped, giggling as Jughead grabbed her waist and pinned her underneath him as he kissed her cheek, her neck and back to her lips. 

"Isn't it enough that I'm going to that party at Cheryl's for you? I should be crowned boyfriend of the year for that." He said as he swept Veronica's hair back from her face and gazed at her.

"Boyfriend..." she repeated with a smile.

She hadn't thought about the fact that Jughead was, in fact, her boyfriend now. They were together, they were official. It had only been a few days but they had moved to a whole new level with each other. It made Veronica's heart flutter thinking about how happy she was, but also how nervous she was when everyone else would begin to find out. She knew she might have just traded in everything just to be with Jughead. And what was even more unbelievable was that she didn't even care. She wanted him more than anything else.

"Is...is that what I am...to you?" Jughead asked apprehensively, as if he was afraid he'd been too presumptuous.

"Because I want to be..."

Veronica could feel the warmth in her cheeks, she knew she was blushing. Even after all the time she'd spent with Jughead, he still made her nervous, he still made her heart pound hard in her chest, he still made her feel like a tongue-tied fool.

"Yes, _you're_ my boyfriend, Jughead Jones. And _I'm_ your girlfriend."

Jughead chuckled.

"It's surreal, isn't it." 

Veronica nodded.

"How did we end up here?" She asked as she ran her hand over his cheek while gazing into his gorgeous blue eyes.

"I'll tell you how! You two saw each other at school and you got all googly eyed over each other. It's so sweet, it's sickening!"

Jughead and Veronica looked up to see Jellybean watching them from the kitchen doorway, licking a spoon of cupcake icing.

They collapsed into laughter as Jellybean rolled her eyes.

"When you two are done mooning over each other, come try a cupcake." She said before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Man, I don't get it, I thought she _wanted_ us to be together." Jughead said as he helped Veronica up from the floor.

"She's totally over us already. It's a tween thing." Veronica replied.

Jughead took her hand in his as he led Veronica to the kitchen where Jellybean was waiting with a plate of freshly baked cupcakes. Veronica still couldn't believe the way Jughead looked at her, smiled at her. She remembered that it hadn't been so long ago that she would have given anything for Jughead to give her a simple grin in the hallway instead of his usual scowl. How quickly things had changed. She didn't know exactly what it had been that made Jughead open his heart to her, all she knew was that she never wanted to lose what they had. She had found someone she hadn't expected to find and he was worth more to her than all the riches and privledges she'd once had.

\-----

 

"I knew you were just in denial about that fancy babe we saw at the party. You were practically drooling." Sweetpea said teasingly as he and Jughead sat together at the bar of the Whyt Wyrm after their Serpent meeting.

Jughead had filled Sweetpea in on why he'd been missing in action lately. That he had been spending a lot of time with Veronica to the point where he'd barely realized he'd been out of touch with his Serpent family.

"Is she rich or something?"

Jughead shook his head.

"Not anymore. And it doesn't matter anyway. She's...amazing, regardless of what she comes from."

Sweetpea chuckled at his best friend.

"Wow, Jug. I don't think I've ever seen you so...whipped...before."

Jughead slugged Sweetpea's arm.

"Shut the fuck up, P! You just wait until you fall in-"

But Jughead stopped himself. He was stunned by what he'd just been about to say to his friend in regards to Veronica. He felt his pulse quicken at the thought. 

"Nevermind." Jughead finished before taking a huge gulp of his drink.

"Have you told your dad about her?" Sweetpea asked, a wary look on his face.

Jughead sighed.

"Yeah...he wasn't happy, to say the least. Her dad is Hiram Lodge, and he and Hiram have some bad blood. Apparently Hiram has had a lot to do with some of the hot water my dad has been in over the years."

Sweetpea nodded.

"Oh man, I didn't know she was a Lodge. Yeah, no wonder your dad is pissed. I heard from my dad that _your_ dad and Hiram like had a full on brawl over your girl's mom back in high school. Your dad...lost." 

Jughead winced. So that was when all the beef between his dad and Veronica's dad had begun.

"And if you're not careful, you might be repeating some history. Didn't your boy, Archie, date her?"

Jughead ran his hands over his face. He hadn't realized how much more complicated things were suddenly getting.

"Fuck...yeah. But...she's not into Archie at all. She never even slept with him."

Jughead knew it was wrong to talk about Archie in that way, but he suddenly felt very defensive about his relationship with Veronica. He didn't want to have any doubts whatsoever.

"Yeah, well, just be careful, dude. Sounds like you're heading towards some trouble."

Jughead didn't want to believe that Sweetpea was right, but so far, the odds of people who were for him and Veronica being together were even with the people who weren't for it. He didn't like his odds for when more people found out. Especially Archie.

\-----

 

"Well don't you look just beautiful, Ronnie dear!" Veronica's grandmother exclaimed when she saw Veronica in her party dress for Cheryl's New Years Eve bash.

She had been shopping that day, using some of her hard earned money to buy a dress that she hoped Jughead would like. She was almost done with her makeup when her grandmother had knocked on her bedroom door.

"Thank you, grans! That's just the reaction I was hoping for."

Veronica could hardly calm down from how excited she was to get dressed up for the first time in a long time. And she hoped that Jughead wouldn't be completely miserable at Cheryl's party. She knew he didn't really want to go, but Veronica had promised Betty that she would be there and it made her happy to know her presence was wanted. 

But she and Jughead had agreed to keep their involvement with each other low key. They both knew that it was only fair to let Betty and Archie know, before anyone else, what had been going on. Veronica wasn't looking forward to it, she knew it might be a tough thing for their friends to accept, but she was ready to be able to be out in the open with Jughead, with no more sneaking around.

Veronica's grandmother gave her a warm smile.

"Ronnie..." She said as she held up the cordless phone that she'd been holding in her hand.

"Your mom says she needs to talk to you. Will you?"

Veronica felt as though her heart had almost completely stopped at her grandmother's words. She hadn't been the least bit mentally prepared to speak to her mother, but she knew she had to. And she knew why she was calling. Veronica was fully prepared and ready to defend her newfound relationship with Jughead Jones.

"Yes...sure..." Veronica replied as she took the phone from her grandmother and held it to her ear.

"Hi mom."

\-----

 

"jughead! Holy shit! What are you _doing_ here?" Betty exclaimed when she saw Jughead walk into Cheryl Blossom's party, which was already in full swing when he'd arrived.

Jughead shrugged sheepishly.

"Um...just thought I'd start my new year off with more...you know...social events." He replied as he looked around the party for Veronica, but he didn't see her.

Betty looked at him as if she didn't quite believe him.

"Really? Jughead, is everything okay? You seem really...off...lately."

Jughead felt his pulse race. He didn't want to lie to Betty but he wasn't sure he was quite ready to tell her about him and Veronica. At least, not while they were surrounded by people.

"Um...yeah, I know. Can we...can we talk, Betty?"

Betty gave Jughead a knowing look, as if talking wasn't what Jughead had in mind at all. Jughead sighed to himself, hating the fact that what he was about to tell her was going to be extremely hard for her to hear. He only hoped she would somehow understand.

The two found themselves wandering into the Blossom's formal dining room, away from all of the partygoers.

"So, what's up, Juggy?" Betty asked, a sultry look on her face as she bit her bottom lip and stared down at his jeans, hoping to see the erection that he usually seemed to have when they were alone together.

Jughead cleared his throat as he took a step back from the sweet Betty Cooper.

"Betty...I um...I need to tell you something. It might...it might explain why I've been acting so different."

Betty looked up at him. She suddenly wore a concerned look on her face.

"What is it, Jug?"

Jughead took a deep breath.

"I've been...seeing someone...and...it's someone you know...I...I'm dating Veronica Lodge."

\-----

 

Veronica had to keep checking her speed as she drove towards the Blossom estate for the party. She was angrier than she had been in a long time after having spoken to her mother on the phone after months of not being in communication. But then Veronica had sent her that letter, telling her mom all about how good things were and how a lot of what was so good had everything to do with her relationship with Jughead Jones.

Hermione had received the letter and immediately called Veronica to warn her. 

"I don't know Jughead, but I know his family, and his family is bad news, Ronnie. Especially FP. I don't want you around that kind of situation. I don't want you being brought into their Southside, dangerous, roughneck way of life."

Veronica had scoffed at her mother's words.

"That's right, mom, you _don't_ know Jughead. You have _no idea_ how amazing he is. How kind and compassionate and smart and driven he is. I don't know his dad, but I do know Jughead."

She could hear her mother sighing on the other end as if Veronica was just some foolish girl with rose colored glasses.

"Veronica, if you continue this thing you have going with the Jones boy, I can't guarantee that your father will support you in any kind of way when he get out of prison."

Veronica chuckled.

"Support me? Get out of prison? Those are two things that I know have absolutely no guarantee at all. So nice try, mom. I can't be bribed into not dating Jughead."

She tried to calm her breathing but she could feel her eyes filling with tears. The last thing she wanted to do was get emotional, to let her mom think she was weak in any way.

"I'm not trying to _bribe_ you, Ronnie. But your father and I...we...we can't and we _won't_ accept you dating a Jones."

Veronica inhaled deeply, doing her best to keep her cool.

"I'm almost 18. You can't tell me what to do. If I have to keep being on my own, then so be it. I'll do it. I love you, mom, and I hope you're doing well. I'm proud that you are getting help, but you can't tell me how to live my life. Just like I can't tell you how to live yours."

And with that, Veronica had said goodbye to Hermione and hung up.

When Veronica finally reached Cheryl's sprawling mansion and saw Jughead's motorcycle parked near the front gate, she felt a calmness fill her heart. Just inside she would find the only person that brought her peace. The person who had made her feel as though she could do anything in the world and everything could be okay.

She only hoped that nothing else, nor anyone else, would get in their way.

\-----

 

"You're dating Veronica?" Betty asked, confused. 

She looked as if she was trying to think back to anything at any time that could have clued her in on what had been going on between him and the new girl from New York.

"Yes. We'd been...um...seeing each other for a little while and things recently got a little more...serious. We didn't plan on it. It just sort of happened."

Betty's eyes narrowed as she listened to him explain.

"So you were fucking her and then decided you'd just start going on dates too? You couldn't go there with me, but you could with _her_? What is it about her, Jug? I'd love for you to clue me in on what she has that you couldn't find with me."

Jughead sighed. This was going worse than he'd thought it would.

"It's...it's like you even said yourself. You said she was amazing...and she is...and...I don't know what it is about her specifically, Betts. I can't explain it."

He could see tears playing at the corners of Betty's eyes as her bottom lip quivered.

"You sure have a hard time explaining how you feel about things, Jughead." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Jughead leaned back against the dining room table as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Betty, what was I supposed to do? Never date _anyone_ just so you wouldn't get hurt? 

Betty shrugged.

"I guess I just thought...fuck...I don't know _what_ I thought." She said with a sigh as she looked down at her shoes.

Jughead hated to see her upset, he cared so much about Betty. He always would. But he knew he had no choice but to be honest with her. He hoped Veronica's new friendship with Betty wouldn't suffer from it, but he didn't feel like he was in any place to ask Betty for any favors regarding Veronica.

"You seem happy." Betty finally said as she looked back up at him. 

She hadn't cried, and he was relieved.

Jughead nodded.

"I am. I'm happy."

Betty gave him a weak smile.

"Then I'm happy for you."

 

\-----

Betty Cooper stood in one of the bathrooms on the first floor of Cheryl's house, doing her best to put on a happy face and go back out to the party. But she was having a hard time.

She had known that something had been going on with Jughead. She'd sensed it for weeks now. Especially when she'd barely heard from him all Christmas break. It had been so unlike him. Even when she and Jughead hadn't had their friends with benefits relationship, they'd always been close, they'd always kept in contact on a pretty consistent basis.

She had thought maybe he was just keeping his distance so as to not upset her now that they were no longer sleeping together. But after a while, she knew it wasn't that.

 Betty then remembered how upset Archie had been on the way to the party knowing that Veronica was supposed to show up. He'd confessed to Betty that he'd seen Veronica having sex with someone in her car in the Bijou parking lot. Betty had thought it was odd at the time, but kind of exciting. Now she felt sick knowing that it had been Jughead that Veronica had been with. And Archie had no idea.

She tried not to be bitter. She tried not to be mad at Veronica. She could see why the new girl had caught Jughead's eye. She was smart, beautiful and sexy. But Betty had never had any indication from Jughead that he was interested in her. She'd barely ever seen the two interact with each other. They'd been able to keep things between them so secret, and no one had been the wiser. 

Betty felt like a fool for asking Veronica if she had known anything about what was going on with Jughead back when she'd visited Veronica at Pop's on Christmas Eve. Veronica had played it off like she didn't ever talk to Jughead, but she'd known all along. _She_ was the one who'd had him acting so strange, so satisfied.

Betty shook her head. She wasn't sure how she was going to get through the rest of this party. It was obvious that Jughead was only there because of Veronica. Betty wasn't sure that she could stand watching the two of them together. She decided that she only had one option, and it was to get as drunk as she needed to get in order to not care.

\-----

 

Jughead had left his conversation with Betty on a good note, at least, it had seemed like it. But he had a feeling that she was going to need some time and space from him. She was hurt, it had been obvious, and Jughead felt like an asshole for having been the cause of her pain. But telling Betty had been the easy part. It was telling Archie that was going to be the toughest. 

Archie had made it clear that his feelings for Veronica had run deep. Finding out that he not only lost the girl he'd cared so much about, but that he had lost her to his best friend, was going to be a tough blow. Jughead dreaded the fallout.

He hadn't seen Archie yet, so in the meantime, he kept his eyes peeled for Veronica while he chitchatted with Dilton Doiley. She was running late, and he wondered why. It was unlike her.

Finally, he saw her walk into the Blossom house and get immediately bombarded by Reggie Mantle, who was already too drunk to be trying to make conversation with anyone. But Jughead couldn't take his eyes off of Veronica.

She looked absolutely breathtaking in her short, tight black New Years party dress. Everything about her was flawless, and Jughead's heart slammed in his chest as he gazed at her. He wanted nothing more than to be near her, especially when he noticed how Reggie was looking at her. He felt his hands forming into fists. 

But just then Veronica glanced at him and smiled that smile that was just for Jughead.

"Well, I'm going to go grab a beer." Jughead said to Dilton, completely unaware if he'd been talking to him about anything specific. The only thing he'd been able to focus on was the raven haired princess that he couldn't wait to be alone with later.

Jughead made his way to the closed-in glass patio where he'd been told the beer kegs were. Only a few people milled around drinking from red solo cups as Veronica wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Hey handsome." She purred as her body molded to his.

Jughead looked around to make sure no one was watching as he took her hand in his and led her away from everyone else.

They found a dark corner where they could be alone.

"You look so beautiful, Ronnie." Jughead sighed as he tilted her chin up so he could look into her dark, brown eyes.

Veronica grinned at him.

"I was hoping you'd think so. Took me hours to get ready. I wanted to look nice for you."

Jughead's pulse raced. He felt like the luckiest man alive.

"You are always beautiful to me. Always."

The two stayed in their little corner of the party for a long time, in each other's arms, talking in between soft kisses, staying hidden away from everyone else.

"It's almost midnight." Veronica murmured against Jughead's warm lips as they listened to their fellow classmates start the countdown from ten.

Jughead nodded as he cupped her face in his hand, ready for Veronica to be his first kiss of the new year.

Veronica's eyes met his, she looked nervous as she swallowed hard. He could tell she wanted to say something. Finally, she smiled as she took a deep breath.

"Jughead...I...I love you."

Just then, somewhere in the Blossom house, a grandfather clock started to chime as Veronica pressed her lips to Jughead's in a kiss that sent a thrill through his whole body. Veronica Lodge loved him. The words had been the most wonderful thing he'd ever heard in his entire life, and he felt as though his heart would burst from his chest right then and there.

Once the clock had chimed it's 12th chime, Jughead pulled away, marveling at the incredible woman he held in his arms.

"Happy New Year, Veronica...I love you too."

 

To be continued...

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Veronica had been so terrified to say the three little words to Jughead, but she had meant them and it had all been worth how nervous she had been when he’d said the words right back to her.

“I’d _really_ like to get out of here now.” Jughead said softly as he kept his arms tightly around her waist as if she would float away if he didn’t hold on to her.

“I would too, but…there’s still things we need to take care of.” Veronica replied somberly.

Jughead nodded.

“Archie.”

Veronica sighed.

“Do you want me to be the one to talk to him since you’ve already had the unpleasant task of telling Betty?”

Jughead had been dreading telling his best friend about what had been going on between him and Veronica, but he knew Archie needed to hear it from him first.

“No, I’ll handle it. You just try to have some fun and then we can go.”

Veronica smiled.

“Well, as my _great_ appreciation for your sacrifice, I have some good news. My grandparents are leaving for their annual New Year’s trip to the Poconos tomorrow morning. They’ll be gone for _three_ whole nights.”

Jughead immediately felt his body weaken at the thought of three nights alone with Veronica.

“So should I pack an overnight bag?”

But Veronica got a devious look on her face.

“Maybe just a toothbrush. You won’t be needing much else.”

\-----

 

Betty had seen Jughead and Veronica on the patio in their dark corner, keeping to themselves, lost in each other, and kissing passionately.

They had no idea that anyone was watching them, much less Betty Cooper.

It tore at her insides watching the two of them together, not just because she wasn’t over Jughead but because Jughead truly looked sublimely happy. And so did Veronica. They looked good together, they looked right.

But Betty couldn’t help but wonder how they’d been so stealthy about what had going on between them, how they managed to hide it so well. And in turn, it made her wonder for just how long this thing between them had been going on.

And she couldn't even really be mad at Veronica for all of it. How could she blame Veronica for falling for Jughead? Betty completely understood how hard it was to deny him. But she had started to like Veronica so much, had enjoyed becoming friends. But now, it felt ruined. Veronica had never let on that she'd been seeing Jughead secretly.

It made her feel so foolish, so used. Add to the fact that there had always been a hope in the back of her mind that Jughead would come around. That he would want to be with her at some point. That if she just held out hope she would get what she wanted. That she would finally get to call Jughead hers. When she’d seen him arrive at the party, she wondered if he’d maybe had a change of heart. She wondered if she would be the one locking lips with him when midnight struck.

But she’d been so wrong, so blindsided.

She took another swig of her straight vodka. She’s been feeling the effects already. She needed someone to talk to, to commiserate with. She needed to find Archie. She wanted to tell him. He had a right to know what Jughead and Veronica had been up to.

Betty found him in the same spot that he’d been in all night. In the Blossom’s game room, surrounded by stuffed deer heads and mahogany furniture, drinking a beer and watching a football game on TV with Moose and Chuck.

“Hey boys!” Betty greeted, her speech a bit slurred.

“Having fun, Betts?” Chuck asked, but Betty ignored him as she motioned for Archie to follow her.

“I need to talk to you, Arch. Now.”

Archie looked up at her, puzzled. But he got up and followed her out into the hallway away from anyone within earshot.

“What’s this about, Betty? And why are you so wasted?” Archie asked with a scowl.

He obviously wanted to be left alone to continue sulking about Veronica, but he looked confused and concerned as to why Betty was wanting to talk to him in private.

“So I know who it was that your girl was fucking last week.” Betty said with a sarcastic laugh as she leaned against the wall in the hallway, needing the support to keep her knees from buckling.

She knew she had drank way too much. And she knew she would never be telling Archie something that would surely break his heart had she been sober, but she'd lost so much self control in her drunken vulnerability.

“Who?” Archie asked, his jaw clenched.

Betty sighed as she looked up at Archie with blurry eyes.

“Your very best buddy in the whole world…Jughead Jones.”

\-----

“Oh baby, I’m _so_ sorry about all of this. I know he was upset, but did he really have to hit you?” Veronica asked as Jughead sat on her bed with an ice pack over his left eye.

Jughead chuckled.

“Hey, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t let him get a few good punches in?”

It hadn’t been long after midnight struck that Jughead had had his conversation with Archie. But what was supposed to have been a calm, mature man-to-man talk had turned into an outright brawl.

Archie had confronted Jughead by clocking him in the jaw and then throwing a punch to his eye, then his nose before Veronica managed to intervene.

“Fucking _asshole_! You _know_ how I feel about her!” Archie had yelled as he drunkenly staggered backwards into Reggie and Moose’s arms.

“It just happened, Archie! There was never any intention to hurt you.” Veronica had tried to explain as Reggie and Moose held Archie back from an already bleeding Jughead.

“Why _him_? Of all people, Veronica! Why a Southside Serpent? A fucking criminal! He’s not good enough for you!” Archie had seethed through clenched teeth.

The words had been like a knife in Jughead’s heart. He knew Archie was angry and drunk, but he never would have expected Archie to say such awful things about him. Especially when Archie had used Jughead’s criminal ways for his own purposes and benefit throughout their friendship.

“You don’t get to decide what’s good enough for me or not, Archie Andrews. I love Jughead. He’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met. And you’re just going to have to find a way to accept that.”

Jughead couldn’t believe what Veronica had just said, and in front of everyone. He wasn’t sure that anyone had ever defended him in that way before. His heart swelled with pride and with love. She was everything to him.

Veronica had then taken Jughead by the hand and the two had walked out of the party together, leaving everyone staring dumbfounded at them as they left. Veronica gave Jughead her dad’s handkerchief that she kept in her purse so he could wipe the blood from his injured nose. They’d gone back to Veronica’s grandparent’s house, Veronica letting Jughead in through her window, as she usually did. The night hadn’t ended how they’d hoped, but they were at least together.

Veronica sighed.

“Yeah, well, I still feel terrible. What were the chances he’d be at the Bijou that night we were there…and to actually _see_ us…together? I feel like the worst person alive.”

Jughead took her hand in his.

“You’re not, though. Not by a long shot. Shit just happens, Ronnie. I’m the one who should feel terrible, and I do. _I’m_ the one who betrayed my best friend by falling in love with the girl he was dating.”

Veronica couldn’t help but smile. Jughead loved her. She could still hardly believe it.

“God, I just hope I didn’t ruin your friendship with Archie. You’ve known him a lot longer than me.”

Veronica fidgeted with her necklace nervously. No matter what Jughead said, she felt incredibly guilty.

“He’ll get over it. He and I have been through a lot and we’ll get through this too. But Veronica, I’m not going to feel bad for being with you. You’re the most amazing thing to come clacking into my life on those annoyingly sexy heels. It is what it is.”

Veronica chuckled as she climbed onto his lap and unzipped the back of her dress. She pulled it off over her head and tossed it to her bedroom floor.

“I’ll keep my heels on then, just to remind you of how this all began.” She said between light kisses on his swollen eye.

Jughead smirked.

“I absoluely _hated_ how hot I thought you were from that very first time I saw you. God, Veronica, I wanted you _so bad_. I still do. All the time. How did you do that to me?”

Veronica blushed. It was still surreal to hear Jughead talk to her that way. There was a part of her that often wondered if this was all some kind of dream.

“I could ask you the same thing, Juggikins. I was so intimidated by you, but no matter how much I thought you couldn’t stand me, I couldn’t stop thinking about you and how badly I wanted you to throw me over your shoulder like a cave man.”

Jughead chuckled.

“I guess we might have to fulfill that fantasy tomorrow night when we have the house all to ourselves.”

Veronica gave him a sexy grin.

“Sounds like a very, very good plan, Jug.”

\-----

 

“What a fucking mess.” Cheryl said as she picked up cups and bottles after everyone had left the party.

Betty sat nearby in a chair, a bucket in her lap in case she needed to throw up again and couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time.

“I’m sorry about the drama, Cher. I…I…didn’t really think Archie was going to try to murder Jughead. Guess he was a lot more into Veronica than I’d realized.”

Cheryl scoffed.

“I’m sorry if I still don’t get why anyone would be fighting over her. I mean, she’s just someone new, she’s not the queen of the world.”

Betty sighed.

“Well…Juggy looked at her like she was the queen of his world.”

Cheryl’s annoyance faded as she gave Betty a sorrowful look.

“I’m sorry they hurt you, Betty. You didn’t deserve that. I always knew Jughead was an idiot, and I knew that tart, Veronica, couldn’t be trusted. I just wish I’d caught wind of it all sooner. I would have handled it _my_ way.”

Betty tried to focus on Cheryl’s face but the room was spinning. She was going to have the worst hangover in the morning.

Thank goodness she was staying the night at Cheryl’s house, she thought to herself as she shut her eyes. She suddenly felt extremely tired.

“I’m going to make them pay, Bettikins. Just you wait. They’ll wish they’d never betrayed you and Archie.”

\-----

 

“So your mom was also less than thrilled when you told her about me?” Jughead asked as the two lay in Veronica’s bed the following night. They had stayed in all day, after Veronica’s grandparents had left, making love and watching as the snow fell on the ground outside Veronica’s bedroom window.

Veronica sighed. She had told Jughead about her phone call with her mom, as much as she didn’t want to care what her mother thought, there was that part of her that wanted so much for her mother to know Jughead, and to see how amazing he was.

“It doesn’t matter. I told her that I’m old enough to love who I want. She can’t control that.”

Jughead held her close as he kissed her forehead.

“You keep having to defend how you feel about me. It’s so unfair to you.”

Veronica chuckled.

“Jughead, I will defend how I feel about you until the day I die.”

Jughead felt his heart skip a beat at her words. He’d never imagined he’d have someone he could love like this who loved him back. All those years of having dated around with nothing working out, all the questioning himself, wondering if there was something wrong with him. It had all led to this. Having the gorgeous, smart, talented, sweet Veronica Lodge in his arms and looking at him like he was her whole world.

“So many people we love don’t seem to be on our side. That doesn’t bother you?” He asked, curious as to how Veronica was able to seem so unaffected.

She sighed as she lay her head on his chest.

“Of course it does, it’s only human to want the people you care about to be supportive and understanding of your decisions. I want them to understand how right this relationship is, how happy I am. But even if they don’t understand it or accept it, I still want this. I still want you, Jughead.”

Jughead smiled to himself.

“I never get tired of hearing you say that. You’re a dream, Lodge.”

Veronica chuckled as she slid down under the sheets.

“Where are you go-“

But before Jughead could even finish the question, Veronica’s mouth was on him.

He groaned as his hands dove into her dark locks. She felt so good, he had a hard time catching his breath.

“Fuck…Veronica…I fucking love you…” He moaned as she continued to work him, her mouth and lips hot and wet on his throbbing cock.

“Don’t make me come…I want to… _fuck_ …I need to fuck you.”

Veronica smiled seductively as she rolled onto her back, allowing Jughead to position himself on top of her. She bit her lip as he stroked himself, looking into her eyes intensely.

She grabbed his arms to brace herself as he pushed himself into her slowly, deliberately, wanting to drive her crazy.

“ _Jug_ …oh... _god_ …yes…” She moaned as he filled her to the hilt.

He loved the look on her face when he made love to her. He’d never seen a woman look so gorgeous, so intoxicating during the throes of passion. Jughead had to concentrate hard to keep himself from coming too soon just by looking at her beautiful naked body underneath him.

She was like heaven to him, and he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to return to earth.

\-----

Veronica held a hot mug of coffee in her hands as she looked out of the picture window in her grandparent’s kitchen as the snow continued to fall. Snow in Riverdale was so much different than it was in New York. In the city, the snow would have barely fallen before it was shoveled aside, turning brown and gray from the dirt and grime of the city. Occasionally she’d get to have some fun looking at it on the trees and grass of Central Park, but there were always hundreds of people around making snowballs and snowmen to really enjoy it fully.

In Riverdale, the fallen snow was mostly untouched, and it blanketed the small town in the most pure, sparkling white that she had ever seen.

It was kind of like how she felt about Jughead. What she’d had before him hadn’t been much of anything, but being with him was the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced. And she smiled while thinking about him asleep in her bed, resting from their passion filled nights.

But no matter what he said, she still felt a tremendous guilt that she couldn’t shake. Not just about how she might have ruined Jughead and Archie’s friendship, but about how she, herself, had hurt Archie.

The look on his face when he’d asked her why she chose Jughead had been heartbreaking, but she made herself be honest. She had to be. She’d been keeping the secret of her love for Jughead for too long. And seeing Jughead taking Archie’s hits, not even once allowing himself to hit Archie back, had made her want nothing more than to point out how incredible of a person Jughead was, despite what Archie might think.

Despite what anyone might think.

Veronica sighed as she stared at the unopened letter from her dad. He hadn’t called her like her mother had, but he had written her back. Her grandmother had left Veronica’s stack of mail on the kitchen counter with a note.

_“I know you won’t listen to whatever it is your father says, but try to understand. I love you. Have a good weekend. Love, Grans.”_

Veronica’s first thought had been to wait for Jughead to wake up so he could read the letter to her like he’d done with the last one. But she didn’t want him to read whatever awful things her father might have to say about Jughead and his family.

Besides, she knew she could do it on her own this time. She felt braver than she had before and she knew it was because of Jughead’s love and belief in her. 

She opened the letter and inhaled deeply.

_Dearest Ronnie,_

_I can’t tell you how elated I was to receive your letter. I am beyond thrilled that things have been going well for you in Riverdale. I am proud of all you have been doing in order to attend college next fall. You haven’t let the upheaval of your life weaken you, and I couldn’t be more happy to know that you have gotten that trait from me._

_What I am not happy to hear about is your relationship with the young Jones boy. I’m sure your grandmother and grandfather have relayed to you how disappointed I would be that you have decided to fraternize with Southside Serpent gang members. The Jones’s are not of our caliber. They will only bring you down to their level and then they will tarnish your reputation and your respectable upbringing. I absolutely forbid you to be involved with Jughead Jones, and if you continue to see him, I will have no choice but to eliminate any financial means that I will be able to provide to you once I am no longer incarcerated._

_Make the wise, and the right, decision, Veronica. I want nothing more than to continue to be proud of you. You know how much I hate to be disappointed._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Veronica folded the letter back up and stuck in underneath the rest of her mail. She had expected that her father’s letter would be harsh, and he certainly hadn’t held back. But she didn’t fall to pieces like she thought she would have after reading such ruthless sentiments from the one man who had always been her constant support in her life.

The only thing she could attribute her lack of emotion regarding her dad’s letter to was the fact that she now had Jughead and his love. He was all she needed. And she was so grateful for him.

She wanted nothing more than to show him just _how_ grateful she was as she removed her robe and made her way back to her bedroom.

\-----

 

Jughead watched Veronica sleep with a scowl on her beautiful face. He could only imagine that she was having a bad dream. She had been sleeping fitfully for the past hour and he was worried about her. He wondered if it was because of her letter from her dad that she had read earlier that morning. She hadn’t told Jughead any specifics of what it had said, only that Hiram had made it clear that he _also_ didn’t approve of his daughter and the Southside Serpent being together.

It was another person to add to the list.

Jughead sighed as he rubbed his jaw, thinking about the way Archie had come at him at the party once he'd found out about him and Veronica.

Jughead knew he had deserved Archie's wrath, but he also knew that Archie would have been more likely to talk to Jughead calmly if he hadn't been so drunk. It was clear that Betty had been drunk too, and in her altered state, she had told Archie what Jughead had confessed to her about Veronica. 

He didn't blame either of them for being upset. He completely understood that he had done something that had hurt his two best friends. But he also couldn't stop himself from wanting to be with Veronica and wanting the world to know about it. He was proud to call her his, no matter what anyone thought. His only real regret was that it had come as such a complete shock to everyone. But he could only blame his stubborn pride for that. If he hadn't been in such denial about how he'd felt about Veronica from the start, maybe things wouldn't have turned into such a mess.

He sighed as he wrapped his arms around the woman who was already the love of his life. He knew they were in for a rough road ahead until everyone around them could accept their relationship. He only hoped that Veronica would hang in there with him.

He didn't want to lose her now that he finally had her.

 

To be continued...

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

“We’re going to be late for history.” Veronica cooed softly as Jughead buried his head in her neck, his hands around her waist.

“I don’t care. I missed you last night.” Came Jughead’s muffled response as he kissed the soft spot behind her ear before moving to her jawline.

“Get a fucking room!” Veronica heard Reggie exclaim as he walked by and scowled at the two.

“Fuck off, Mantle!” Jughead yelled back angrily.

They had been dealing with glares and eyerolls ever since they’d arrived at school the first morning after the holiday break.

Veronica hadn’t expected quite so much resentment from her classmates, and all because of her relationship with Jughead.

“I didn’t realize that Archie and Betty had so much power in this school. People _hate_ us.”

Jughead shrugged.

“Who fucking cares what they think? It’s just jealously anyway. Every guy in this school wanted you, Lodge.  They’re just mad because I won.”

Veronica chuckled.

“I guess that must be why the girls hate _me_ now? They all wanted Jughead Jones?”

Jughead shook his head, smiling bashfully.

“I wouldn’t go _that_ far.”

But it was true. The tension among their classmates was palpable. Veronica and Jughead’s involvement with each other and their betrayal towards Archie and Betty had definitely ostracized the new couple. It seemed the scene at Cheryl's party a few nights earlier was still fresh in everyone's mind, even though Veronica had hoped no one would care anymore. She had been wrong.

Veronica and Jughead walked hand in hand to their next class, so unaware of their surroundings that they had almost missed the poster sized photo on the wall as they walked down the hallway.

The poster was printed with a large photo of a man on it. But it wasn't just any photo, and it wasn't just any man. It was Hiram Lodge’s mugshot, and underneath his scowling face were the words.

_“Never trust a Lodge. They’re criminals who date criminals.”_

Veronica felt as though she had just been punched in the gut repeatedly. Without even a flicker of hesitation, she immediately ripped the poster off of the wall as Jughead spied another one of the posters farther down the corridor and ripped it off the wall too.

“The faster you rip them down, the faster we put more up.”

Veronica turned to see Cheryl Blossom giving her a smug grin.

“What the _hell_ , Cheryl?” Jughead growled as he glared at the redheaded maple heiress.

Cheryl smirked.

“I did a little digging over the weekend. I found out all about her jailbird dad. We don’t take kindly to liars around here…or criminals. And I’ll be starting a petition to get both of you kicked out of our school. We don’t need the likes of you two running around our halls, breaking whatever laws you criminals break, and hurting my friends. Your days here are numbered.”

Veronica didn’t even know what to say. She had been so caught off guard, so lost in her safe, little world with Jughead that she hadn’t even thought for a minute that Cheryl would seek to avenge Betty and Archie. But there was something so self serving about her vendetta. Veronica suddenly no longer thought Betty was lucky to have a friend who had her back like Cheryl did. Cheryl was a poisonous tyrant.

“You’re wasting your time. No one is going to take your stupid petition seriously.” Jughead said as he ripped another poster off of the wall.

“Won’t they?” Cheryl asked as she pulled a notebook out of her bag.

“I already have 300 signatures and that was just this morning, and school hasn’t even started yet. So I think the chances are looking pretty good for getting this petition to be taken seriously. So prepare to be out of here sooner than later, losers.”

Veronica opened her mouth to say something. She didn't know what she was going to say in response to Cheryl, but she felt an overwhelming need to defend herself, her father, her boyfriend.

But Jughead grabbed her hand and led her away from the look of pure triumph on Cheryl's face.

“Don’t get on her level, Veronica. Let’s go to class.”

Veronica let Jughead lead her down the hallway as he ignored the posters that hung on the walls during their entire walk to their history class. But Veronica couldn’t ignore them so easily. The pain of seeing her father’s face in his mugshot the night he was arrested was almost too much to bear. She remembered that night so well, every detail of it. And she found herself feeling so incredibly nauseated while trying to concentrate on the Industrial Revolution that their teacher was lecturing on, that she got up and ran for the nearest girl’s restroom.

She sat in the stall, praying no one walked in after she had thrown up her whole breakfast. She couldn’t believe that this had been the way everyone found out about her dad, about the past she hadn’t wanted to tell anyone until she was ready to, and until she could tell them all about it in a way that everyone would understand.

“Veronica?”

She suddenly heard Jughead’s voice, sounding so concerned for her that it made her want to cry. She knew he felt helpless too, and she hated it for him.

“I’m here.” She managed to reply, her voice weak.

“Baby, are you okay? Can I do anything?” He asked pleadingly. 

Veronica wished she could tell him to just take her away somewhere that no one would ever be able to find them. Where they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone being against their newfound love. Where they could be together and be happy with no drama and no disappointments. But she knew that wasn't possible, no matter how much she wished for it.

Veronica left the stall and splashed cold water on her face as she stood at the sink. She peered at herself. She looked whiter than a ghost.

“I’ll be okay.” She said quietly.

She wasn’t just saying it to Jughead, she was saying it to herself. She only hoped Jughead believed what she said more than she did.

\-----

 

Jughead watched as Veronica tore down poster after poster all along the cafeteria walls. Principal Weatherbee had ordered the posters of Hiram Lodge's mugshot to be taken down as soon as possible, while also announcing that whoever was responsible would be suspended. But only if he was able to find out who had orchestrated the whole thing.

No one had outed Cheryl, except for Jughead and Veronica. But there was no proof she’d done anything. She had made sure to wipe her tracks clean.

It broke Jughead’s heart to watch his girlfriend so hurt by how her secret had been exposed. And it made him so angry that he had already punched a dent in Cheryl Blossom’s locker.

All morning, Veronica had endured sneers and disgusting comments. It was all Jughead could do to keep a cool head, but made a mental note about each person who had caused any grief to the woman he loved.

He knew that he needed to be strong for her, to be there for her as much as he could. So he quickly got busy helping her take down the posters, the two saying nothing to each other as they worked as fast at they could. He knew she needed to think, to be in her thoughts, so he decided that just his presence was enough for now.

He couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened. He had known that he shouldn’t have gone after Veronica until he’d told Archie and Betty how he felt about her. He should have waited until they understood that he couldn’t help how he felt. But he had gone ahead and done something stupid like make love to Veronica in her car at the Bijou, never thinking for a minute that anyone would see them, much less Archie.

They had been caught up in the moment, they had wanted to be together, and they had taken the opportunity. And at the time, they didn't care if anyone saw them together or not.

But no matter what, he couldn’t regret being with Veronica, even if they _did_ have to deal with this horrendous backlash. He loved her too much.

As Jughead tore down poster after poster, he looked across the busy lunchroom and locked eyes with Betty. She was watching him and Veronica with a mixed look of guilt and sadness on her face. It was almost as if she felt partly responsible for what had happened to Veronica.

Jughead hadn't thought much about it, but he realized that this whole mess wouldn't have gotten to this point if Betty hadn't gotten wasted and told a drunk Archie what Jughead had told her in confidence. He found himself scowling at her before turning away.

He knew he should't be mad at her, she hadn't been in her right mind when she'd spilled the information to Archie before Jughead had been able to have the chance. But he couldn't help it. Watching Veronica be virtually shunned by everyone at school was killing him. He didn't care how people felt about him, or how they treated him. For the most part, he preferred to be on his own. But Veronica didn't deserve it, especially after everything she had been through. And he could only wonder how much involvement Betty might have had with what Cheryl had decided to do to get back at Veronica.

"I think we got them all. Thank you, baby." Veronica said as she gave Jughead a tender kiss on the cheek.

He smiled warmly at her. He wanted her to know that he had her back no matter what.

"Don't thank me, Veronica. I'll do whatever I can. And I won't let anyone _ever_ hurt you again."

\-----

 

Veronica decided to use her study hall period to go to the school library and sit in Jughead's usual dark corner.

She needed to be alone.

She felt awful for what she had done to Archie and Betty to warrant the retaliation led by Cheryl Blossom. She should have known that there would be consequences. She just hadn't known they would be quite so serious and vindictive.

But she knew how close Cheryl and Betty were, and she definitely knew that Cheryl was already not fond of her. Cheryl had been pleasant enough when Veronica had shown up at the New Years Eve party, but she could see the look of disdain on Cheryl's face as soon as some of their male classmates began to approach Veronica, flirting and offering to get her a drink. Cheryl very clearly was resentful of the attention that Veronica had been receiving ever since she had arrived in Riverdale. 

The only one good thing that had seemed to come out of all of this awful mess was that at least Cheryl would know that Veronica was no longer a threat when it came to their male peers. Veronica was far too in love with Jughead to care anything about any of the other boys in school. Cheryl could have them.

Veronica sighed thinking about her sweet, caring boyfriend. He had been so amazing so far through all of this. He'd helped Veronica take down as many of the posters as possible. But she felt terrible that he had gotten dragged into this whole mess. He was no longer on speaking terms with his two closest and oldest friends, and she felt utterly responsible. 

Jughead kept insisting that things would be fine, in time, but it didn't stop Veronica from feeling like she was ruining all the good things in Jughead's life. Even the stupid petition was an attempt to rid him from the only school he'd ever known. She felt like she owed him something, but she didn't know what. All she knew was that she needed to find a way to stop hurting all the people around her.

"Veronica?"

Veronica was brought out of her deep thoughts by a familiar voice.

It was Archie.

She looked at him, perplexed over why he would be talking to her.

"I've been looking all over for you. I should have known you'd be here...in Jughead's favorite spot."

The disgust in his voice when he'd said Jughead's name was obvious to her, and she felt the stab of guilt once again.

"Why have you been looking for me?" She asked, wondering if Archie had just wanted to give her a piece of his mind some more.

But Archie sighed wistfully as he approached her, a somber look on his face.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for how I behaved at the party. I wouldn't have normally acted in that way, but I had drank _way_ too much. I was just...totally caught off guard by what Betty had told me about you and Jughead. I acted like an idiot, and I'm sorry."

Veronica eyed him distrustfully, at first, but it seemed as though his apology was sincere.

"I understand that you were upset, Archie, and I don't blame you at all for it. But Jughead was going to tell you, the right way. You weren't supposed to find out from Betty like that."

Archie nodded as he stuck his hands in his letterman jacket pockets. 

"I just...I just wish Jughead had told me a lot sooner. I wish _you_ had told me."

Veronica sighed.

"Would it have mattered if I had? Would it have hurt you any less?"

Archie thought for a minute.

"Probably not, no. But...what is it about _him_ , Veronica?"

Veronica wasn't sure how to answer that question, so she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Everything...just...everything. And I'm sorry it hurts you, but I love him and that's just how it is. I can't explain it. You've been friends with him for a long time, so maybe you could understand why Jughead is so special. Maybe you could understand why I feel the way I feel about him. But regardless, Archie, please...please don't let my relationship with Jughead ruin your friendship with him."

But Archie shook his head.

"I'm not ready to forgive him, Veronica. He knew how I felt about you. The whole time I had been telling him how much I cared about you, he was taking you for himself."

Veronica could tell that nothing she said was going to change Archie's mind about his suffering friendship with Jughead. She knew that maybe in time, he would understand, but for now he just couldn't.

"I hope you change your mind someday soon, Arch. He cares _so_ much about you. You are one of the only people he allows himself to be vulnerable to."

But Archie only shrugged as he turned to leave the library. But before he left, he turned around again to say one last thing.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Veronica. And if you ever change your mind...well...you know where to find me."

\-----

 

It had been a long day, and Jughead could barely wait to get off of work so he could go over to Veronica's house. He knew she was still reeling from the day's unexpected events and he wanted nothing more than to be with her.

She had left her window unlocked, like she'd grown accustomed to doing for him, and he crept in quietly before shutting the window and sliding off his jacket and shoes. 

He climbed into her bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey babe." He said softly as he kissed the back of her neck.

Veronica turned over in her bed to face him and grinned sleepily. They gazed into each other's eyes, not needing to say a word for they had found a way to communicate in their silence. It was a connection they seemed to have that neither one could explain, but it was beyond powerful.

"I was hoping you'd show up." She finally said before pressing her lips to his in a steamy kiss, draping an arm around his neck to pull him closer to her.

"How are you doing?" He asked her as he played with a tress of her dark hair.

Veronica sighed.

"I'm okay...I just...I'm so sorry you're having to put up with all of this. I feel awful."

Jughead kissed her softly before replying.

"Don't ever apologize to me. I _want_ to be by your side, Veronica. I _want_ to help you through this. And soon, no one will care anymore about what's happened to your family. Everyone has baggage. Everyone has issues. And I promise it's going to be okay.

His heart pounded hard in his chest at the way Veronica looked at him then, his words having done something to her. She looked as if she wanted to have her way with him at that very moment.

"You are too good to be true, Jughead Jones. I'm the luckiest girl alive."

Jughead blushed. He never felt worthy enough of the beautiful Veronica Lodge, but he would never be able to take for granted getting to call her his.

"And...I know things are crazy right now...and if you don't want to, I'd understand..." She said as she looked at him nervously.

"But...I really want my grandparents to meet you."

Jughead grinned from ear to ear. He couldn't deny that he'd been waiting for the day when Veronica would want him to meet her family. He could only hope they would want to meet him too.

"I would love that, Ronnie." He replied.

"But it might make me feel guilty about all the sneaking in here that I've been doing."

Veronica chuckled.

"Not me. I kind of find it...exciting. I mean...you never know who might walk in..."

Jughead groaned softly as Veronica's hand slid under the waistband of his jeans to touch him. He immediately got hard at the feel of her warm hand on his erection.

"You never know who might hear us...you know how hard it is for me to be quiet when you go deep..." She purred before pulling off her tank top and throwing it to the floor.

Jughead immediately dropped his mouth down to her bare breasts, letting his tongue glide over each pink tip. And his cock twitching as she whimpered from the feel of his sultry mouth on her skin.

He reached his hands under the sheets to remove her panties, only to discover she wasn't wearing anything at all. 

"You were ready for me." He said as he gave a low chuckle.

Veronica responded by pushing him onto his back so she could climb on top of him.

"I need to forget about everything for a little while, Juggikins. Can you help me with that?" She asked, her voice full of total seduction.

Jughead couldn't even speak. She looked so incredibly stunning, bathed in moonlight as it shone through her window. 

He answered her by pushing his jeans down further, releasing his hardened cock from its denim prison. 

He moaned her name so quietly it was like a prayer as she guided him into her and began to rock her body on top of his.

As much as Veronica needed to forget about how awful the day had been, so did he. And all he needed was her. No matter what, he would be by her side until all of the drama had subsided, and he would be by her side even after that.

Jughead wanted to be with Veronica for as long as she would have him. And deep down, he hoped that it meant she would want him forever.

 

To be continued...

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

The next day at school wasn’t much better for Veronica nor Jughead, but the two had made a pact that they would do their best to ignore all of the hate and focus on each other and on their grades. It was really all they could do while everyone around them continued to act as though they were the social pariah of the school.

But the one thing Jughead and Veronica both wanted to do, and needed to do, was apologize to the two main people they had hurt.

“So I’m going to try and catch Archie after school before I come to your house for dinner.” Jughead told Veronica as the two sat at lunch together.

“I really do hope it goes well, Jug. But don’t be surprised if he’s not ready to forgive and forget.” Veronica said as she picked at her salad.

Jughead nodded.

“I’ve mentally prepared myself. And physically. If he tries to hit me again, I’m hitting him back this time.” He said with a chuckle

Veronica smiled.

“I give you full permission. I realize sometimes that you guys have to punch each other’s lights out before you can be cool again.”

Jughead smiled before taking a bite of his hamburger.

“So...I’m really excited about you coming over to meet my grandparents tonight. Grans is pulling out all the stops and making her best dishes.”

Veronica meant it. As nervous as she was about introducing her boyfriend to her family, it was something she could hardly wait to do. She needed desperately for her grandmother and grandfather to see what a wonderful person Jughead was, despite being the son of the infamous FP Jones. And despite being a member of the Southside Serpents. There was so much more to Jughead than that. And she was proud to have him by her side.

“I’m looking forward to it. I just hope they like me.” Jughead replied with a nervous smile on his handsome face.

Veronica shook her head.

“Don’t worry. They’ll love you.” She said as she gave him a kiss on the lips, not caring who saw them.

“I love you, Veronica Lodge.” Jughead murmured against her lips as he held her chin in his hand.

Her heart swelled at his words. She never got tired of hearing him tell her he loved her. She felt invincible whenever he said it, as though they were a shield against the whispers and scowls that she had been dealing with for the past two days. As hard as it was to have her family business known to everyone in the whole school, it was worth it to have Jughead by her side to combat all of it. To combat it together.

“I love you too.” She said as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

They walked down the hall together until Veronica suddenly stopped. Her eyes had landed on Betty Cooper, standing by her locker, her back turned.

“Go talk to her.” Jughead said softly as he gave Veronica’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Veronica nodded and gave him a quick kiss, doing her best to keep in mind that Jughead’s love was her armor against everyone else. She didn’t have to be fearful of talking to the beloved Betty of Riverdale High.

She let go of his hand and walked over to where Betty stood as Jughead continued on to his next class.

“Betty? Can we talk?”

Betty turned quickly, her face expressionless as she locked eyes with Veronica.

She said nothing, only stared, so Veronica continued.

“I’m really sorry that I never told you about me and Jughead. I should have been honest with you about what was going on. I just…well…you and I were becoming friends, which I had really wanted…and…I knew that telling you about Jughead could potentially ruin that. I didn’t think he and I were going to ever really be anything so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. But I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you. I hope you can forgive me for that someday. I would love another shot at being friends.”

Veronica was nervous as she spoke, but Betty hadn’t walked away, hadn’t told her she didn’t want to talk to her. It had given Veronica some hope.

And when the look on Betty’s face softened, and she opened her mouth to speak, Veronica inhaled deeply, waiting for Betty’s response.

But before Betty could even get a word out, Cheryl Blossom appeared out of nowhere.

“And just what do you think _you’re_ doing?” She asked Veronica, her voice full of contempt as she stood in between Betty and Veronica.

Veronica glared at the redhead.

“It’s really none of your business, but I was apologizing to Betty.” Veronica replied as she attempted to step around Cheryl to continue her conversation with the blonde.

But Cheryl put her hand up, stopping her from going any further.

“Betty doesn’t want to talk to you. And she sure as hell doesn’t owe you _anything_ , much less forgiveness. So just give it up and be on your way, gangster girl.”

Veronica could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

“Why don’t you let Betty think for herself? You’re not in charge of who she talks to.”

But Cheryl only smirked before turning to face Betty.

“Bettikins, do you want to talk to this…piece of Lodge trash?”

Betty’s eyes widened for a brief second before glancing at Veronica. She said nothing, only shook her head somberly.

“See? She doesn’t want to talk to you. So just be on your way, backstabber.”

Veronica kept her eyes on Betty until Betty finally looked away.

“Okay. Fine. I understand.”

And with that Veronica turned to go to her next class, doing her best to keep the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes from escaping down her cheeks.

\-----

 

Jughead smiled to himself thinking about Veronica while he sat on his motorcycle watching the Riverdale Bulldogs finish up their practice and head to the locker room.

He was so proud of her for how she was handling things. And also proud of how she had tried to talk to Betty even though Betty had been less than willing to work things out with Veronica.

Regardless, Veronica was being so brave. Jughead was in awe of her. Granted, she kept telling him that it was his love and his loyalty to her that was getting her through all the drama at school. But he had a hard time taking any credit for how amazing she was. It only made him love her more, and he hadn’t even known that it was possible to love her more than he already did.

Now it was his turn to be brave and talk to Archie. This time, he hoped the fact that there was no alcohol involved would work in his favor and that Archie would be able to listen to him calmly and maturely.

But Veronica had told Jughead about her conversation with Archie the day before and it hadn’t gone well in regards to how he was feeling about Jughead.

“He needs time, that’s for sure. But I think he also needs to hear you say you’re sorry.” Veronica had said to him when they’d discussed it the night before while lying in her bed.

Jughead had agreed. He knew Archie had every right to be upset, but being upset wasn’t going to change anything. Jughead felt remorse for how he’d hurt his friend, but he didn’t regret being with Veronica. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Finally, Jughead saw Archie walking out to the parking lot after having showered up from the vigorous practice. Jughead got off of his bike and approached his oldest friend carefully.

“Arch…can we talk for a sec?”

Archie scowled at Jughead as he folded his arms over his chest defensively.

“What makes you think I want to hear anything you have to say?” Archie seethed.

Jughead shrugged.

“You might not want to hear anything I have to say, but you _should_ hear it. We’ve been friends for too long. We’re brothers, Archie.”

Archie gave a sarcastic laugh.

“ _Brothers_? Brothers don’t steal girls from each other the way you stole Veronica from me.”

Jugehad sighed.

“Archie, I didn’t steal her. She and I...we…we felt something. And as soon as she knew she was feeling something for me, she broke up with you. And even after that we tried to stay away from each other. But…things just happened. I’m sorry, Archie. I should have told you. I should have been stronger. But…Veronica and I…we have a good thing going. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to pursue where this could go. I hate that it hurts you, but...this is how it is. She can’t change how she feels and neither can I.”

Archie stared at the ground as Jughead spoke, a defiant yet defeated look on his face. Finally, he looked up. There was no longer anger on his face, just a forlornness that nearly broke Jughead’s heart.

“I just don’t understand, out of every girl in this school, why you had to fall for the girl I had fallen for.”

Jughead wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t really have a good answer, until he really thought about it.

“Archie…to be honest with you…I felt something for her the first time I saw her. When you started dating her, it killed me. I was sick with jealously. I never told you because…I didn’t think she’d ever be interested in me anyway…and you seemed to really like her. I’m not saying that it excuses my behavior. But…I wanted her and when I got her…well…I just can’t let go now. I’m sorry. And I…I just hope that someday…we can be cool again.”

Archie shook his head, a crooked smile on his face.

“You’re willing to risk losing our friendship over her. You must really love her, Jug.”

Jughead nodded.

“I do, Arch. And loving someone was never something I thought I’d ever feel. You know that about me.”

Archie sighed as he relaxed his rigid stance.

“I need time, Jughead. I’m still angry. I’m still hurt. I’m happy for you. I’m happy that you found someone. I envy you and I would _kill_ to be in your shoes. But…our friendship isn’t over. We’ve been friends for too long to let a girl come between us. Veronica loves you, not me. It’s something I have to learn to accept. And I will…eventually.”

Jughead exhaled a long sigh. The conversation with Archie had gone much better than he had expected. Things weren’t totally good between them yet, but knowing they could be someday down the road was enough for him.

The two old friends gave each other a strong handshake before parting ways. Jughead would never fully forgive himself for hurting Archie, and he would do his best to make it up to him, but he could never give up the amazing love he felt for Veronica. It was the only thing he knew he needed in the world.

\-----

 

“Relax, Veronica. You’re grandmother and I will be nothing but pleasant to your gentleman caller.” Veronica’s grandfather said as he watched his granddaughter pace the living room floor waiting for Jughead's arrival for dinner.

“I know, grandad, but…I just want you two to like him. He means _so_ much to me.”

Veronica’s grandad smiled warmly.

“So it’s pretty serious between you two I take it?”

Veronica smiled as she nodded her head.

“He’s a game changer. I mean…I know we’re young but…Jughead….Jughead could be _the one_.”

Before he could even reply to what Veronica had just confessed, the doorbell rang.

Veronica smiled to herself as she went to answer the front door. When she saw Jughead standing there, looking so dapper in a suit and tie, holding a bouquet of flowers, her hands flew to her chest.

“Oh my god…Jug…”

Jughead smiled bashfully. He had so obviously wanted to make a good impression that he’d pulled out all the stops.

“You look… _amazing_.” Veronica said softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his in a tender kiss.

“So do you.” He replied once they pulled away.

“But that’s a given.”

Veronica led him into the front room of her grandparents small, but cozy, home.

“Grans, grandad…this is my boyfriend, Jughead Jones.” She said, beaming, as she looked up at Jughead’s handsome smiling face.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Lodge.” Jughead said as he shook hands with both her grandfather and grandmother.

“Wonderful to meet you too, Jughead. Can we call you Jughead?” Grans asked, unsure if he was okay with them calling him by his nickname.

“Absolutely. I know it’s weird, but I can tell you all about where the name came from at dinner. Makes for a pretty good icebreaker.”

Veronica’s grandparents chuckled, both smiling sincerely at the young man who was dating their granddaughter.

“Well, I’ve made a very special meal, Jughead. I hope you’re hungry.”

Jughead chuckled.

“I’m always hungry.”

\-----

 

Dinner with Veronica’s grandparents was going much better than Jughead had originally thought it would. He hadn't know exactly what to expect.

He knew that most people had a bit of prejudice about anyone who was a part of the Southside Serpents, but Jughead’s involvement with his gang didn’t seem to rattle Veronica’s grans and grandad at all.  And it immediately put him at ease.

But the fact that they hadn’t brought up his father let Jughead know that they were clearly aware of the fact that FP was in prison. The fact that their own son, Hiram Lodge, was in prison as well, wasn’t a topic that came up either. The lack of judgement amongst the four of them as they ate and chatted, was evident and Jughead wondered if Veronica realized how lucky she was. That she had been placed in incredibly good hands while her parents were unable to be a part of her life.

“Jughead and I are neck and neck for the top spot in our class.” Veronica was saying as she looked teasingly over at Jughead.

She had been telling them all about their academic rivalry, a rivalry that Veronica and Jughead found fiercely sexy when they were trying to one up each other in class and on tests and assignments. Veronica had even playfully threatened to withhold sex from Jughead when he’d received a higher grade on their English poetry assignment. But ultimately, she had been unable to refuse him when he’d recited the poem for which he’d written an analysis of. He’d remembered it word for word, and the romantic prose was enough to make Veronica give in instantly.

“She keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure. But if she end up becoming valedictorian, I’ll be the first person cheering her on.” Jughead said as he took her hand in his.

Grans smiled as she watched the couple gazing at each other so lovingly it was as if no one else was in the room.

“What are your plans for after graduation?” Grans asked curiously before taking a bite of the flank steak she had prepared especially for the dinner with Jughead.

Jughead smiled.

“Well, I’ve already been accepted into Riverdale University where I’m going to major in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing. I want to be a writer, maybe a teacher or professor someday. I’ve been saving up money and I’ve applied for financial aid. Continuing my education is very important to me, Mrs. Lodge.”

He was only being honest, which was all he could do. But he knew he must be saying all the right things because Veronica’s grandparents looked over at each other and nodded, clearly impressed with the young man sitting across the table from them.

When dinner ended, Veronica helped her grans clear the table while Jughead and the senior Lodge talked on a more serious level.

“Veronica is very happy with you, Jughead. And I know you are aware that her parents are less than thrilled about this pairing.”

Jughead nodded, but he suddenly felt extremely nervous. He knew that by getting in good with Veronica’s grandparents could be the key to Hiram and Hermione Lodge accepting the fact that he and Veronica were together.

“I am aware, Mr. Lodge, and I completely understand. But my father’s business is not the same as mine. I am a Serpent, yes, but I keep my nose clean. And I would never dream of involving Veronica in that part of my life if I thought it would hurt her in any way.”

Veronica’s grandfather nodded as if he was satisfied with what Jughead had said.

“Well, you seem like a very honorable, smart young man. And I know Vernica is a smart girl. Wise beyond her years, and she’s shown us that she’s a responsible young woman. I want you to know that her grandmother and I have no problem with the two of you seeing each other.”

Jughead let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Mr. Lodge. That means everything to me. Veronica is an incredible girl, and I promise that I will never hurt her. I promise that on my life.”

\-----

 

Jughead sat at his Serpent meeting after his dinner at the Lodge’s house, hoping Tall Boy would wrap things up soon so he could get back to Veronica.

“Why are you dressed up like that? Did you have a job interview at a car dealership or something?” Sweetpea asked with a teasing grin on his face.

Jughead glared at him.

“I had dinner with Veronica and her grandparents tonight. I’m working on getting her family to not hate me all because of my idiot dad.”

Sweetpea chuckled.

“So the babe has got you wrapped around her finger, huh?”

Jughead shrugged.

“Yes, but only because I want to be.” Jughead replied as he gave Sweetpea a shove, nearly knocking him off of his stool.

“Jughead Jones! What’s the status on the funds for your dad’s new attorney?” Tall Boy asked as he looked over a notepad in his hand.

Jugehad held up a manilla envelope.

“We have it all. I just counted up the last of the contributions this morning.”

There was a round of cheers and whoops all throughout the Whyt Wyrm. Jughead smiled, but it wasn’t as sincere as it would have been a few months ago. His dad getting out of jail soon also meant having to face FP about his relationship with Veronica.

And he was currently riding the high of Veronica’s grandparents giving their blessing.

“You don’t seem that excited.” Sweetpea said, noticing Jughead’s hesitation after he had given Tall Boy the envelope of money.

Jughead shook his head as he sighed.

“I just know he’s going to make life hard on me when it comes to Veronica being the daughter of his worst enemy. I don’t think I can handle anymore controversy.”

Jughead filled Sweetpea in on everything that had happened with Archie and Betty and what Cheryl Blossom had done at school.

“Geezes, Jug, why didn’t you tell me and Fangs? We could have helped you handle that shit.”

But Jughead knew there really wasn’t much his Serpent friends could do but intimidate people at Riverdale from any further retaliation.

“It’s fine. It will blow over eventually. In the meantime, Veronica and I are just going to get through the rest of the school year and then we’re going to get a place together off campus near Riverdale University.”

Sweetpea raised his eyebrows at Jughead’s surprising news.

“Wow…you two really _are_ serious. So what, that means Betty is officially single now?” Sweetpea asked with a sly grin.

Jughead chuckled.

“Yep. You want me to put in a word for you?”

Sweetpea shrugged.

“I wouldn’t be mad if you did.”

\-----

 

“They loved you, Jug. Just like I knew they would.” Veronica said once Jughead had climbed through her window and removed his beanie and his shoes.

He smiled victoriously.

“See, baby? Things are looking up.” Jughead replied as he removed his jacket and lay it on the chair by the window.

Coming over to Veronica’s most nights had become a more and more regular thing. It had been what had sparked their talk of moving into together by summertime. Being away from each other was getting harder and harder, and they hated sneaking around. Besides, they were in love, and if Veronica’s parents weren’t going to support her financially while she was in college, then she and Jughead would do their best to support each other.

Veronica crossed her room over to where he stood and wrapped her arms around his waist as she gazed up at him.

“You make me proud all the time, Jughead. But tonight, you blew my mind. I mean…you pulled out _all_ the stops.”

Jughead cupped her face in his hands as his thumbs caressed her cheeks.

“It was all genuine, Veronica. I’d do anything to prove to anyone that what we have is real and it isn’t going anywhere.”

He picked her up in his arms and carried her over to her bed where he lay her down gently before removing his clothes as she removed hers.

“And now, I want to do to you what I’ve been thinking about doing to you ever since you grabbed my dick under the table during dinner.”

Veronica chuckled deviously as Jughead climbed onto her bed and began to kiss her all the way down her body, peppering her inner thighs with light kisses as he clutched her hips in his strong hands.

“Oh….god…” She moaned softly as his mouth hovered over her throbbing core.

She writhed desperately, waiting for him to finally connect his mouth to her hot, slick folds. Finally, after she softly begged him, he ran his tongue over her in long, deliberate licks, eliciting whimpers of pleasure from her gorgeous mouth.

“You taste like heaven.” He groaned as he continued to work her, sucking and licking, as her hands tangled in his dark hair.

Suddenly she came hard, her body shuddering as he let up but not stopping completely.

“Fuck…yes….” She sighed as he kissed his way back up to her mouth, where his tongue dipped between her lips so she could taste herself.

Veronica’s hands slid down his body until she found his hardened cock and guided it into her.

“Make love to me, Jughead.” She whispered as she looked into his eyes.

Jughead responded by plunging himself into her hard and fast, making her yelp.

“Shhhhh, baby.” Jughead said genty, reminding her that they weren’t alone in the house.

Veronica smiled as Jughead thrust himself in and out of her eagerly.

“I can’t wait for the day when we don’t have to be quiet.” She whispered as she wrapped her legs around Jughead’s torso, pushing him in deeper to the point where she closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. The look of pure bliss on her face was the hottest thing he had ever witnessed.

“Someday soon, Lodge…someday soon.”

Jughead could do nothing but agree. But having to be quiet was just a small price to pay to be with his girl.

\-----

 

Veronica had decided to ignore the comments and glares she had been receiving all week at school and instead focus on what lay ahead.

She and Jughead had plans, plans that could definitely be a reality, and sooner than later.

She knew they were both young but she also knew that she and Jughead were as levelheaded as you could get for being their age. She would be 18 soon and she would be able to do what she wanted. And what she wanted was to be with Jughead.

Veronica didn’t think anything could dissuade her from her good mood, and her hope for the future, until she saw Cheryl Blossom standing in front of Veronica’s locker. Her arms crossed over her chest with her typical smug expression on her face.

“What is it now?” Veronica asked with an eyeroll as she stood in front of her unintentional nemesis.

Cheryl’s face went from smug to serious in a flash.

“That shit you pulled yesterday with Betty didn’t sit well with me. You upset her… _again_. And she also saw you and Jughead making out in the cafeteria. I’m tired of you trying to throw your relationship with him in her face. It’s time for you to end it with him.”

Veronica couldn’t help but laugh. She couldn’t even take Cheryl seriously. The fact that she was attempting to tell Veronica what to do seemed beyond ludicrous.

“I’m sorry Betty is upset. I tried to apologize to her before you interrupted us. But I’m not ending things with Jughead, and you’re crazy if you think I’m going to.”

But as Veronica was speaking, Cheryl was pulling a piece of paper out of her purse.

She unfolded it and handed it to Veronica.

“You will break up with him, or I will make sure everyone finds out about this.”

Veronica felt sick to her stomach as she looked over a copy of her mom’s rehab admittance form.

“Where did you get this?” Veronica practically growled as she narrowed her eyes at Cheryl.

Cheryl chuckled.

“Oh, I have my ways.” She replied.

But Veronica wasn’t about to fall for Cheryl’s bluff, whether it was a bluff or not.

“Do what you will, Cheryl. I’m not ashamed. My mom is getting the help she needs.”

But Cheryl rolled her eyes.

“Well then, good thing I have a backup plan.”

She pulled out another folded piece of paper, this time it was another mugshot. But it wasn’t Hiram Lodge’s. It was a man that bore a striking resemblance to Jughead.

She felt her heart nearly stop completely in her chest. The mugshot was of FP Jones.

“I already have a stack of posters just itching to be hung up, not only at school, but all around town. If you don’t break up with Jughead…well…then his dear old criminal dad’s mugshot, and list of crimes, will be seen by everyone in this town.”

Veronica swallowed hard. It was one thing for Cheryl to go after _her_ , but another thing for her to go after Jughead.

“Betty would never allow you to do that to Jughead.” Veronica fired back.

But Cheryl only grinned her signature evil grin.

“What Betty doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

Veronica knew that wasn’t true. Betty would be mortified if she knew what Cheryl was planning. 

“And don’t go trying to tell her about this. She wouldn’t believe a liar anyway.” Cheryl said as she folded the paper back up, almost as if she knew what Veronica had been thinking.

“So you better break up with him soon or everyone will know both of your sordid family details. Clock is ticking.”

Veronica felt as though her heart was literally breaking as she watched Cheryl Blossom walk casually down the hallway, completely unaffected by the damage she could cause, the pain she would be bringing, and all because of something that had nothing to do with her.

And Veronica couldn’t understand why Betty had been allowing Cheryl to get away with all of the scheming to get back at her. It didn’t make sense and it didn’t seem like Betty.

Veronica didn’t know what to do but to tell Jughead what was going on. But then he would be so angry, she wasn’t sure what he’d do. She didn’t want him to have to fight any more battles than he already had.

She started to realize that her only option would have to involve breaking up with Jughead, to do what she had to do to keep his family business from being plastered all over the school. It was bad enough that they’d both had to deal with Veronica’s drama being outed, it wasn’t fair for Jughead’s to be outed too.

As much as the thought of not being with him made her want to cry and scream and smash anything she could pick up with her two hands, she took a deep breath.

Jughead would be waiting for her outside of their Anatomy class. She would do it before the bell rang, before he could argue with her about it. She would explain it all to him later, after the posters in Cheryl’s possession were destroyed.

 

To be continued…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Jughead slammed his locker shut, opened it, and slammed it shut again. He punched it hard, the pain in his fist nothing compared to the pain in his heart. 

Veronica had dumped him.

She had told him right before Anatomy class that things were moving too fast. That she wasn't ready for the big commitments they had made to each other. That she needed space.

He had almost laughed, thinking she was joking, but she never even cracked a smile. Veronica breaking up with him was real.

But what _really_ killed him was knowing that her reasons were all a lie. He knew her too well and he knew that something had happened to force her hand into ending things with him.

The only thing he could imagine was that Cheryl Blossom had somehow conned Veronica into the breakup. And it was all he could do to not hunt Cheryl down and wring her little, ginger neck. She had somehow found a way to force Veronica to lie to him, to tell him she didn't want to be with him anymore. She had gone too far this time.

"Juggy?"

Jughead whipped around to find Betty standing in the hallway watching him, a concerned look on her face.

"What?" Jughead seethed through clenched teeth. 

Seeing Betty was just a reminder about how all this drama and turmoil had all began. She leaned back, a frightened look on her face. She clearly hadn't expected Jughead to be so venomous towards her.

"Are you okay?"

Jughead scowled.

"No, Betty, I'm not. I'm not okay. Veronica just broke up with me. Are you happy now? Your schemes with Cheryl have officially ended the best thing that has ever happened to me."

The shocked look on Betty's face was unexpected, as if she'd had no idea that a breakup had been on the table in regards to Cheryl's plans.

"Jug...I...I didn't know she was going to go that far with the whole plan...thing...I'm sorry."

Jughead shook his head.

"But you _did_ know she was going to make Veronica's life a living hell by telling the whole school everything there is to know about her dad? _Damn it_ , Betty. I never would have thought you would sink that low. So what did she do now? What did she tell Veronica she would do if she didn't break up with me?"

He watched as Betty's eyes glossed over with unshed tears. She hesitated, looking around as if the guilt of whatever it was was so bad that she couldn't even look Jughead in the eye.

"Tell me, Betty." Jughead said, his voice practically a growl.

He wanted answers.

"She...Cheryl...she told Veronica that she would put up posters of your dad's mugshot and rap sheet all over Riverdale...including the high school." Betty replied quietly, looking like she was about to be physically sick from the admission. 

Jughead suddenly felt as though his heart had plummeted into his stomach. He couldn't imagine that anyone could be so callous and cold as Cheryl Blossom.

I'm...I'm sorry, Jughead. I'm sorry for all of this. I never thought it would get this far. I didn't really know what Cheryl was going to do until she'd already done it. When she'd told me that she was going to make you and Veronica pay...I hadn't taken her seriously."

But Betty's apologies weren't enough for him.

"I'll make it up to you. Somehow, I'll make it right." Betty said as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

"Damn right you will. And you'll start by getting those posters and destroying them. And then you'll call off Cheryl and tell her to stop doing your dirty work and to leave me and Veronica alone. You owe me that, Betty. You have no idea what your revenge has done to the woman I love."

The wounded look on Betty's face made him wish he hadn't been so angry, so stern in his words to her. But he was an emotional wreck knowing that Veronica was going through something that she wouldn't tell him, and that he couldn't even comfort her about. Being cut off from her was pure torture.

"I _really_ am sorry, Juggy." Betty nearly whispered as Jughead ran his hands through his hair, so frustrated that he didn't even care that in his fit of rage, his beanie had gotten trounced under his feet.

"Just...fix it." Jughead said with a pleading sigh.

He needed his girl back. And as soon as possible.

\-----

 

Veronica watched wistfully as Jellybean practiced braiding her hair as the two watched "Clueless" and snacked on the nachos Veronica had made for the two of them. 

But Veronica wasn't eating. She had no appetite and she hadn't had the heart to tell Jellybean that she and Jughead had broken up. As annoyed as Jellybean tried to act whenever Jughead and Veronica were around each other, Veronica knew it would break his little sister's heart to know that they weren't together anymore.

She wouldn't be able to explain it, and Jellybean would be too smart to believe anything Veronica tried to tell her. As it was, Jughead hadn't believed Veronica for a second when she'd told him why she was calling things off between them. She had underestimated how well he knew her. And as happy as that made her, it also killed her. It made her feel constantly sick to her stomach knowing she'd broken up with the only person who seemed to really know her, who really understood who she was.

"He won't be home until later tonight." Jellybean said suddenly, having noticed Veronica checking her watch.

Veronica was hoping Gladys would arrive home before Jughead did so she could avoid seeing him. It would only make all of this that much harder if she had to look into his gorgeous blue eyes again with that look of distress on his face. She knew he wanted desperately to know what Cheryl had told her.

"He went to go visit my dad. Apparently the Serpents got him a new attorney."

Veronica quickly remembered Jug mentioning that he would be going to see his dad to tell him the good news about how the Serpents had raised enough money to pay the retainer fee for his new high-powered lawyer. Apparently FP would have the possibility of getting his sentenced reduced once a new appeal was made.

As much as Veronica knew FP hadn't approved of Jughead dating a Lodge, she was still hopeful that FP would be released as soon as possible. His family needed him. Especially Jughead. 

"I bet you're glad your dad has a good chance of being released soon." Veronica said with a warm smile.

Jellybean nodded.

"I am! It would take so much pressure off of Jughead. But I know he thinks our dad won't accept you. But I don't see why he wouldn't. We _all_ love you, Veronica. I know my dad will too."

It was all Veronica could do to not burst into tears at what Jellybean Jones had just said to her. Her heart was breaking knowing that she would probably never get a chance to meet Jughead's dad. Not after everything that had happened over the past few days.

She put on a brave face instead, and nodded.

"We'll have to make him a batch of those chocolate chip cookies. Show him how good you've gotten at baking."

Jughead's sister beamed brightly.

"Great idea! And then we can teach him how to make that yummy pudding thing you make."

Veronica smiled.

"Creme Brule? Sure, we can make that for him too."

But Veronica knew that once FP was back in the picture and working again, that Gladys would be working less and the Jones family wouldn't need a babysitter anymore. Veronica would miss Jellybean terribly. She had become the little sister that Veronica had never had.

And she would cry about it later, when she was back at home and Jughead didn't come knocking on her window, and she didn't have anyone to turn to about what was going on in her life. She would cry herself to sleep and pray that things would be better tomorrow.

\-----

 

Jughead was back in his old spot in the cafeteria, alone with his laptop open, but he hadn't typed a single word. He was too busy watching Veronica sitting at a table with Ethel and Midge, having their weekly book club meeting. 

He couldn't take his eyes off of his newly minted ex-girlfriend, Veronica Lodge. She looked beautiful as always, and so sexy without even trying, though he could tell she'd been crying, and very recently. 

What he wouldn't give to be able to get up and go over to her, take her by the hand, and go somewhere to be alone. To be the shoulder for her to cry on.

Things didn't have to be this way.

He thought about his conversation with his dad at the prison the day before. He'd gone by and told his dad all about the money they'd managed to raise for his legal fund, that all his dad had to do was call the new attorney to set up a meeting time in the next week. 

FP had sighed a great sigh of relief. He was so grateful that he got tears in his eyes. Jughead had only seen that happen one other time in his sixteen years of life and that had been the day Jellybean was born.

"You're a real man, Jughead. You've shown your ability to not just help lead a gang, but a family too. Your mother says you've worked hard and still managed to be the top of your class at school. I know I tell you this all the time, but I'm so proud of you, Jug."

Jughead had given his dad a crooked grin. He had only done what needed to be done, but he was thankful that he had been able to lift some of the burden of not being around off of his dad's shoulders.

"Now tell me...why do you look so damn glum? Like more than your usual glumness?" FP had asked his only son.

Jughead hadn't wanted to get into a conversation about Veronica knowing that she was a sore subject with his father, but he had needed advice so desperately that he allowed himself to vent to his already captive dad.

"It's...um...Veronica. She...she broke up with me."

FP had sat back slowly in his chair, exhaling. He shook his head as if he'd been expecting to hear this sort of news at some point.

"What did I tell you, son? I told you that she'd fuck you over."

Jughead rubbed his eyes with this hand, he wasn't going to let his dad see him cry. 

"She didn't fuck me over, dad. She was actually trying to protect me...to protect _you_ , mostly."

FP had loooked at Jughead, confusion on his face. And then Jughead had proceeded to fill his dad in on everything that had happened at Cheryl's party and then everything that had happened after that.

When he finally finished telling FP everything there was to tell, Jughead had let out a slow exhale, closing his eyes as if the whole tale had been more exhausting than running a marathon.

"Damn it, son. I had no idea...no idea what you've been dealing with."

Jughead shrugged.

"How would you? I've been keeping you at arm's length, dad. And...I'm sorry for that. I just...I don't know what to do at this point."

FP sighed as he bent his head.

"Jughead...I need to apologize to you."

Jughead looked up at his dad, confused as to why he would find it necessary to apologize to him all of a sudden.

"I shouldn't have made an assumption about Veronica just because of who her father is. Yes, Hiram Lodge is not a good man. But...the fact that she broke up with you to prevent humiliation to our family...knowing she loves you as much as you love her? That's amazing. It shows loyalty, and bravery. I was wrong about her, son."

Jughead could hardly believe what his dad had told him. It wasn't what he'd expected. And as relieved as it made him, he didn't know if it would even matter now. 

Even as the lunch bell rang, he stayed sitting in his chair as he watched Veronica get up to leave. He silently begged her to look his way, to give him some sign that they would make it through all of this. But she walked out of the cafeteria without a single glance back, breaking his heart all over again in the process.

\-----

 

"Uh...Veronica? Are you maybe going to serve that milkshake or let my delicious concoction go to waste?" 

Veronica was startled from her trance by Pop's quiet voice gently prodding her to get back to her job. She had been out of it all night, unable to stop thinking about how she could possibly get herself out of this mess with Cheryl. She couldn't stop thinking about how much she missed Jughead. She missed him so badly that her stomach was constantly in knots. She couldn't eat, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't think straight. She was a total mess.

It had gotten so bad that her grandparents had finally asked her what had been wrong with her over the past few days. 

She had broken down and told them all about her breakup with Jughead.

"No one wants us to be together. It feels like the world is against us." She had told them as tears streamed down her cheeks.

But her grandparents only smiled at her in that knowing way that they always did, like they knew some big secret about life that she was too young to understand. 

"Ronnie, darling...it _doesn't_ _matter_."

Veronica had only stared at her grans, perplexed by her choice of words.

"What? What do you mean 'it doesn't matter'?" She asked as she wiped away her tears with the sleeves of her sweater.

"I _mean_ that it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who accepts your love for Jughead, and who doesn't accept it. It's no one else's business. It's _your_ heart and your heart alone. Whatever anyone else thinks just doesn't matter."

Veronica sighed.

"But...my parents. They threatened to cut me off if I continue to see a Jones. They didn't even care about what I told them about Jughead. They don't care about how much he's helped me, and been there for me."

Veronica's grandmother had taken Veronica's hand in hers and looked her straight in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter. And besides, you'll never be cut off. You're our granddaughter, our only grandchild, and we will _always_ be here for you and we will always do what we can to help you. But don't think for a minute that your grandfather and I won't tell our son exactly what we think about him making you worry about your financial future. He may be an adult but we're still his parents." She said matter-of-factly.

Veronica couldn't help but smile a smile of relief. She had been so worried, so fearful, but she suddenly realized how right her grandmother was. It didn't matter what anyone else thought about her relationship with Jughead. All that mattered was how she felt and how Jughead felt. 

Now if only she could actually be with him.

"I'm sorry, Pop. I...I just got distracted." Veronica said with a weak grin as she got up to deliver the milkshake to a booth at the back of the diner. 

As she approached the table, she noticed a familiar blonde ponytail. The customer was Betty Cooper.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Here's your shake." Veronica said politely as she sat the milkshake down in front Betty and started to walk back to the front counter, but Betty reached out her hand to stop her.

"Veronica, can we talk?"

 Veronica didn't even respond. She was too surprised by the fact that Betty was actually speaking to her again.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for all of this mess with Cheryl. And I took care of it. She won't bother you anymore. I promise."

Veronica's eyes widened, but she felt wary of Betty's words. She didn't know if she was being sincere or if this was another part of the plan to get back at Veronica for dating Jughead.

Betty must have noticed the look of uneasiness on Veronica's face because she continued.

"Jughead was so mad at me, Veronica. He knew Cheryl was behind you dumping him. He blamed me. Seeing him so...so _upset_...I just couldn't take it. I can't live with myself knowing that I'm costing him his happiness by being involved in Cheryl's stupid revenge scheme. And it's not fair to you either. I know you're a good person, Veronica. That day you tried to apologize...I wanted to accept it. I think I was just...not ready to. But then I realized that my friendship with the two of you would be over if I didn't do something. So...I fixed it. The posters are gone. I swear. And...I'm so sorry for everything."

Veronica knew she needed to say something, but she didn't know what. It was almost too good to be true to the point that she was scared to believe it.

"You two have looked so sad not being together. I feel so guilty, so terrible. I want you both to be happy, and if it's with each other...then I can accept that. And I hope...I hope that maybe we really _can_ be good friends someday, Veronica."

Veronica sat down in the booth across from Betty, doing her best to breath deeply. She felt overwhelmed and she wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry.

"Is...is that really true? Cheryl isn't going to leak the information about Jughead's dad?"

Betty nodded.

"I took care of it. She won't do anything. She won't even look at you funny in the halls on Monday."

Veronica sighed, unable to stop the grin that began to form on her lips.

"Thank you, Betty. _Thank you_."

But Betty just smiled that classic Betty Cooper smile.

"Don't thank me, Veronica. I owed this to you and to Jughead. It should have never gotten to this point. I'm embarrassed that I didn't handle the news of you two being together better. Jughead has been my friend forever and his happiness matters to me more than my own. You make him happy."

Veronica shook her head, smiling but still in a state of disbelief. But it would all be real soon. And she couldn't wait until her shift was over.

She had some good news to share with the man that she loved more than life itself.

\-----

 

It was late as Jughead sat in his room, listening to music and trying to work on his History essay, but he was finding it impossible to focus. He hadn't heard anything from Betty. He didn't know if she'd called off Cheryl's blackmail and torment of Veronica.

He wanted answers.

He picked up his phone to send Betty a text when he suddenly heard a soft knock on his bedroom window.

His heart jumped in his chest, not expecting anyone to be showing up so late outside of his trailer. There was only one person that it could be. Only one person he hoped it would be.

Jughead jumped up from his desk chair and quickly drew up the blinds.

Standing at his window with a smile on her gorgeous face was Veronica Lodge.

He unlocked and opened his window as quickly as he could, a rush of cold air hit him hard but he didn't care as he reached out his hand to help Veronica inside.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her, thanking God she hadn't been hurt from being out so late at night in the roughneck side of Riverdale.

Veronica's only response came when she threw her arms around Jughead's neck and covered his mouth with her own in a hot, heady, intense kiss that sent Jughead's pulse racing out of control. She had come at him so abruptly that he smiled against her lips as he nearly lost his balance, causing him to grab her bottom with both of his hands.

"Is this real?" He asked quietly as his lips brushed hers.

Veronica nodded.

"Who says?"

Veronica pulled away just enough so she could look into his eyes.

"Betty. She came to see me. She told me about your conversation with her. She took care of everything with Cheryl."

Jughead exhaled a long sigh of relief.

"Jug, I'm sorry that I said what I said when I broke up with you. I should have known you wouldn't believe me. And I'm so incredibly thankful that you didn't." Veronica said with a regretful look on her face.

Jughead shook his head.

"Don't be sorry. I know why you said what you said. I know you were protecting my family...and I love you for it."

Veronica smiled deviously at him.

"Well...I still feel terrible about what all of my drama has done to you. And...I just want to make it up to you..." 

She stepped back and took off her coat before she began to remove her clothes slowly while Jughead watched, his heart pounding so furiously he felt his hand inadvertently grab his chest. 

"Fucking hell, Lodge..." He groaned as she stood before him wearing nothing but a fiery red thong and her black stiletto heels.

She crooked her finger for him to come to her, and he didn't waste any time. He picked her up in one, quick swoop before collapsing onto his bed. 

"How are you real? And all mine?" He murmured against her hot skin as he kissed down her neck and to her chest, his tongue tasting her as he went.

Veronica sighed softly at the feel of his mouth all over her. It felt as if they hadn't been together in this way in forever.

"I ask myself the same thing every day." She replied as she helped him remove his clothes.

It wasn't long before Jughead was plunging himself inside of her, moaning as quietly as he could as his body rocked on top of hers. She felt so incredible it was unreal.

"I don't ever want to be away from you for that long ever again." He said in between thrusts and passion-filled kisses.

He looked into her eyes so she knew he was serious.

"Veronica...I want you now and I want you for forever. I know we're young...but...you're the one."

Veronica smiled as she gazed up at him, her eyes shining brightly from the tears that were forming from hearing his confession. She sighed before speaking.

"Jughead...I love you more than I ever knew I could love anyone. I don't care what comes our way, good or bad. I don't care who accepts what we are. I want to be with you forever too. Forever and always."

Her words, the way she looked at him, sent Jughead over the edge. He came hard as Veronica came with him.

\-----

 

Jughead and Veronica spent hours making up for the lost time, until they were both sated and breathless and beyond content.

They lay in Jughead's bed, in the quiet darkness of the late night hours, doing that thing where they didn't have to talk to know what the other was thinking. They both knew that they had never expected to fall in love, it hadn't been a part of the plan, but it had happened whether they had wanted it to or not. There was no denying that they were meant to be and there was no denying that even thought they had come from different places, from different families, and different means. One thing that was the same for them both was the love they felt for each other, and it was that love that had led them to finding out that they were not so different after all.

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH to all of you for reading and commenting and kudo-ing! This was a fun story to write and I hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> I am going to be writing another Jeronica fic soon! Stay tuned!


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